<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>SkyFire 3: The Styles' Solo Era by An_Abundance_of_Soph</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27005023">SkyFire 3: The Styles' Solo Era</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_Abundance_of_Soph/pseuds/An_Abundance_of_Soph'>An_Abundance_of_Soph</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SkyFire [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, One Direction (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Amputee, Disabled Character, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Light Angst, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Post-One Direction, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, mcu who?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:13:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>38,681</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27005023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_Abundance_of_Soph/pseuds/An_Abundance_of_Soph</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In Part 1 Harry and Aurora fell in love while Harry’s career soared alongside his band mates. In Part 2 they took on the unknown together in the wake of the band’s hiatus, Harry’s new career path and Aurora’s injuries from the Columbia Shooting. Now it’s time for Harry’s solo era with his new wife by his side.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Styles/Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Stony</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SkyFire [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883380</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sign of the Times release weekend: 7th-9th April 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aurora tried to stifle her yawn as the conversations flowed around her. She was sitting in the Golden Stag, surrounded by friends and colleagues celebrating the release of Harry’s first single. It had been a long day and it was getting rather late into the evening but she didn’t have the heart to pull Harry away from his friends given how much fun he was having, so she plastered a smile on her face and sipped at her coffee, hoping the caffeine would keep her going a little while longer. </p>
<p>They’d woken up bright and early to cross the river and head to the BBC radio studios in Marylebone. The first interview of the day was thankfully with Harry’s long-time friend Nick Grimshaw and Aurora was happy to be greeted with a hug and steaming hot coffee as soon as the stepped into the studio. </p>
<p>“You’re a legend,” she told him as she took a sip. “Although I think I’d love you more if you could get a better timeslot.”</p>
<p>“But I like morning radio,” Nick pouted.</p>
<p>“And that’s great for you,” Rori chuckled, “but just know that I’m not coming with him for the next one.”</p>
<p>“Well I’m glad you’re here for this one,” Nick replied, gesturing for Rori and Jeff to take the seats waiting for them over against the wall and out of the way while Harry sat across the desk from Nick, settling headphones over his ears as they got ready.</p>
<p>“Ready Harold?” Nick asked with a cheeky grin.</p>
<p>“Ready Nicholas,” Harry replied, a matching smirk on his face.</p>
<p>“Good morning!” Nick said into the microphone after he was signalled back on air.</p>
<p>“Good morning,” Harry echoed, a slight chuckle in his voice at the energy Nick suddenly had as soon as he was on.</p>
<p>“I feel a bit sick about this,” Grimmy began. “You are no longer - we would say the sentence; Harry Styles from One Direction - you are now Harry Styles, Solo Artist. How does that feel and how does it feel knowing that this is like day 1 of a really important, you know, new chapter in your life?”</p>
<p>“It’s a bit weird…” Harry answered, and Aurora smiled softly at her new husband as he talked to Nick excitedly about the new single and the writing process.</p>
<p>“Now of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention something pretty exciting happened 2 weeks ago,” Nick said after a while, throwing a smile to Rori, who returned it with a slight chuckle.</p>
<p>“Ah yeah,” Harry mumbled, blushing as he also glanced over at Rori. “Yeah, I got married.”</p>
<p>“Congratulations!”</p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<p>“It was a lovely day,” Nick said. “We’re joined by the lovely Mrs Styles in the studio this morning and I’ve got to say, it was a wonderful day.”</p>
<p>“It was a pretty great day wasn’t it?” Harry laughed, his gaze flicking between Nick and Aurora. “Glad you had a good time.”</p>
<p>“What’s married life like?”</p>
<p>“So far it just feels like being on holidays,” Harry replied. “We only just got back from our honeymoon yesterday so married life is just laying on a beach so far.”</p>
<p>“Gosh it must be such a hard life to be you Harry.”</p>
<p>“It’s pretty good most of the time,” Harry said. “But sometimes I have to get up ridiculously early for a breakfast radio interview.”</p>
<p>“Well that’s rude.” Harry let out a loud laugh, his noise scrunching up adorably. “That’s alright Harry, we both know the only one mad about how early it is, is your missus over there.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, she’s never been a morning person,” Harry chuckled, mouthing an apology as Rori flipped him off. She sipped on the remainder of her coffee as the topic of conversation moved away from her and back onto Harry with the two men recounting stories from their nights out drinking together until Grimmy finally started to wrap up the interview after about an hour and half.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>After saying goodbye to Nick, the day had been one interview after another and by the end of the day both Aurora and Harry were exhausted and were very much regretting agreeing to a celebratory dinner at the pub. All the usual suspects were present; Anne, Robin and Gemma, Jeff’s wife Glenne, as well as the album’s production team, with Louis and Ella rounding out the group there to celebrate the beginning of Harry’s solo era.  </p>
<p>Helen and Greg were happy to host the event and ensured that everyone had a wonderful time, closing the pub to the public and ensuring that everyone, including Harry, were able to drink and party without worrying about prying eyes. Leaving Harry to spend time with his friends, Aurora sat next to Glenne on her left, and Ella on her right. The three women chatted happily as they ate, discussing Ella’s new job she had recently been offered as a sixth form teacher at nearby Wimbledon College for the next school year. She had recently completed her master’s degree and was excited to be starting teaching after summer in the school’s humanities department. Aurora was excited for her friend, knowing that Ella had wanted to be a teacher since the two girls were 8 years old. Glenne was interested to hear more about the British school system and Rori, having experienced both the British and American systems, was always happy to discuss the differences between the two.   </p>
<p>Sometime after the meal was finished and everyone was milling around, drinking, laughing and dancing, Aurora looked down the table to where Anne and Robin were chatting with Grimmy. She noted that Robin was looking rather tired and figured that her in-laws would probably be looking to leave well before Harry was finished partying with his friends. She excused herself from her conversation with Ella and Glenne and headed over to her husband, inserting herself into the circle of friends throwing back shots with him beside the bar.</p>
<p>“Can I have your keys please baby?” she asked him once she gained his attention.</p>
<p>“Ya don’t have t’ take m’keys love,” Harry slurred out drunkenly. “I know better than to drive after ‘ve been drinkin.”</p>
<p>“And while I appreciate that, that’s not why I need your keys,” Rori smirked, running her fingers through his hair as he leant his head against her shoulder and clung to her like a koala. “I want to give mum a set of keys to get into the apartment since they’ll be ready to go well before we are.”</p>
<p>“M’kay,” Harry replied, kissing her neck as he fumbled, trying to slip his hand into the right pocket of his checkered trousers.</p>
<p>“Here, let me,” Rori chuckled, swatting his hand away and slipping her own into the pocket to fish out his keys. Once she had them in hand, she attempted to untangle herself from her clingy partner. “Gotta let me go so I can give them the keys, H.”</p>
<p>“No,” he pouted. “Stay here with me.”</p>
<p>“I’ll come right back.”</p>
<p>“Fine,” he huffed, standing back up to his full height and letting go of her waist.</p>
<p>Aurora laughed at his puppy dog eyes and placed a quick kiss to his pouted lips before heading over to Anne and Robin.</p>
<p>Anne and Nick are deep in conversation when she sunk into the empty seat beside Robin, neither noticing her arrival.</p>
<p>“He seems to be having fun,” Robin said, nodding towards Harry.</p>
<p>“I’m glad,” Rori replied, smiling proudly. “He deserves to have everyone celebrate him.”</p>
<p>“He does,” Robin agreed.</p>
<p>“You doing ok?” Rori asked, taking in his exhausted expression.</p>
<p>“Just getting a bit old to party all night,” he joked, attempting to alleviate the concern he could see on his daughter-in-law’s face. “I’ll be alright darling.”</p>
<p>“Well I figured you guys probably wouldn’t want to stay out as late as the party boy,” she said, allowing him to steer the conversation away from the depressing topic of his health and handed him Harry’s keys. “The fob will get you into the garage and then the lift. Green key’s for the front door and both guest rooms have fresh sheets on the beds and towels in the bathrooms so make yourself at home in whichever one you like. I’ll try to keep him quiet when we get home so that he doesn’t wake you up.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” he smiled, leaning forward to place a quick kiss to her temple. They both broke into giggles as Harry called across the room to her, his voice slurred and a little whiny. “Think you’re needed elsewhere,” Robin chuckled. Rori rolled her eyes with a grin before heading back over to her husbands’ side and allowing him to wrap his arms around her like an octopus.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Aurora woke up the next morning, her face smooshed into the pillow and Harry’s  warm, heavy body pressed along the length of her back, weighing her down into the mattress. She was a little confused at first, given that usually it was Harry’s insistent kisses that would wake her in the morning, but quickly the memory of his drunken state the previous evening popped into the forefront of her head and she remembered why he was currently snoring in her ear. Given that she had half dragged him into the apartment in the early hours of the morning, she wasn’t at all surprised that the usual early bird was still out like a light and she supressed a chuckle as she rolled out from under him and threw on some clothes before making her way out into the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Good morning sweetheart,” Anne greeted in her usual perkiness. Aurora grimaced, squinting against the bright sunshine streaming in from the large windows looking out over the Thames. “Tea?” Anne asked.</p>
<p>“Please,” Rori replied as she collapsed into the seat beside Robin at her dining table. She let out an almighty yawn and then dropped her head down on to her folded arms against the tabletop.</p>
<p>“We didn’t hear you come in,” Robin said. “What time did you finally get him home?”</p>
<p>“I think it was a little after 3,” Rori mumbled, her face still hidden in her arms.</p>
<p>Anne looked her watch, noting that the younger woman had only had about 5 hours sleep. “Here’s your cuppa, love,” she said, placing the mug on the table and rubbing a hand along her back.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Anne,” Rori said, finally sitting back up to take a sip of the steaming drink. “God, I needed this. I’ve got a writing session this afternoon and I’m already regretting scheduling anything for today.”</p>
<p>“How about some bacon and eggs?” Anne offered, smiling warmly at Aurora’s quick nod and pleading eyes. “We were thinking about staying until tomorrow to spend a bit more time with Harry once he’s up but if you’ve got people coming over to work, we can head home.”</p>
<p>“No, No,” Rori replied, shaking her head and yawning again. “We’ll be down the hall in the studio all afternoon so you should stay. I know Harry will want to spend some more time with you both before we kick off the promo tour.”</p>
<p>“As long as you’re sure we won’t be in your way,” Anne said, already returning to the table with Rori’s breakfast.</p>
<p>“Oh god this is good,” Rori moaned around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “You’re a saint Anne. An honest to god, saint.”</p>
<p>Aurora was happy to spend some time with her in-laws as they all sat around the dining table waiting for Harry to finally surface. When he eventually did make his way into the kitchen, Aurora couldn’t help but laugh.</p>
<p>“You look like shit baby,” she chuckled, showing absolutely no sympathy for Harry’s awful state.</p>
<p>“S’not nice,” he mumbled, his knuckles rubbing at one of his eyes, his hair sticking out in every direction and a pair of sweatpants hanging dangerously low on his hips.  He places a kiss on the top of his wife’s head before falling into the chair next to her. “You should be nicer to me when I’m not feeling well.”</p>
<p>“That rule only applies when you’re feeling poorly,” Rori grinned. “You don’t get any sympathy when you’re hungover because you went too hard last night. This is karma, my love.”</p>
<p>“Can’t believe I married such a bully,” he mumbled, pouting at his wife.</p>
<p>“If I was really so mean I wouldn’t have carried your butt to bed in the early hours of this morning, now would I?” Rori asked. “But how about I make you a coffee? Would that make me a good wife?”</p>
<p>“Make you the best wife,” Harry replied.</p>
<p>Aurora offered him a soft smile as she headed over the island bench and popped a capsule into their coffee machine for him. “Do you want something to eat?”</p>
<p>“I think if I eat anything, I’ll be sick,” he admitted.</p>
<p>“Just a black coffee it is then,” she chuckled. “Don’t forget Tom’s coming over to write this afternoon. Anne and Robin said they’re staying till tomorrow so maybe if you can pull yourself together, the three of you could spend some time together.”</p>
<p>“I thought you were working with him tomorrow before we leave,” Harry said, frowning as she handed him his coffee.</p>
<p>“Doing both hon,” Rori replied, kissing his temple. “We’ve got a busy few months ahead of us so I’m gonna have to squeeze things in around the schedule.” Harry nodded in understanding, still too hungover to enter into a discussion surrounding the hectic schedule on the horizon for them both, instead letting it go and watching as Aurora left the room, heading back towards their bedroom to change.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Tom arrived a little after 2pm, the doorman letting him into the elevator so that Aurora didn’t need to head down to the lobby to let him in. Aurora hugged him once she let him through the front door. “It’s so good to see you again,” he said as he gave her smaller body a gentle squeeze. “Congrats on the wedding.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Rori replied as she stepped back from the hug and gestured for Tom to follow her into the dinning room where Harry and his parents were still milling around the dinning table, however the breakfast dishes had since been cleared and Harry was starting to feel a little bit more human and less like death warmed up. “Tom, my husband Harry,” Aurora said, unable to help the smile at introducing Harry as her husband.</p>
<p>“Great to finally meet you Harry,” Tom said as the two men shook hands. “Congrats on the wedding and the new single mate, it’s an absolute banger.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.” Harry replied with a genuine smile. “These are my parents, Anne and Robin.”</p>
<p>Tom shook Robins hand and kissed Anne on the cheek and then Aurora lead him from the room and down the hall towards the studio.</p>
<p>“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about <em>You and I</em>,” Tom said as they settled into the studio. “I’ve been messing around with the mix if you wanna hear it.”</p>
<p>“Absolutely,” Rori said with an excited grin.</p>
<p>Tom matched her smile, pulling out his phone and queueing up the rough track. Aurora found herself bopping along as the song played, pleasantly surprised by the drum beat and the drop leading into the chorus. She enjoyed the way that Tom had taken what had begun as an emotional ballad and turned into a something more like a pop-dance track.</p>
<p>“I feel like I can already hear that on the radio,” she said when the song ended.</p>
<p>“I still want to tweak it a bit,” Tom admitted, returning his phone to his jacket pocket.</p>
<p>“Want some advice?” Rori asked, waiting for him to nod before continuing. “Don’t overproduce it. Sometimes you just have to leave it be before you over complicate the track and take away from what makes it great. You’ve got a story here and your voice is what sells it. The synth and the beat bring something to it that I never would have thought of and I honestly think it’s ready now.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Tom asked.</p>
<p>“Really,” she smiled. “I’ve been doing this for a while now and you wouldn’t believe how many songs I’ve seen sabotaged by an artist or their producing getting caught up in the process.”</p>
<p>“You really understand all of this,” Tom said. “You could be dominating the charts if you started holding on to some of this stuff for yourself. Why don’t you?”</p>
<p>“I’m not really interested in chasing the spotlight,” she replied. “I’ve got a big enough one on me already just because of who I am, and I enjoy the collaboration more than being the one centre stage. Besides if I decided to go solo, I wouldn’t be able to tour with Harry and I feel like the pressure to write would stifle me.”</p>
<p>“I guess that makes sense,” Tom agreed. “I appreciate the advice honestly.”</p>
<p>“Anytime, Tom,” Rori said. “You release that track as it is and you’re going to have a hit on your hands. I’ve got friends in breakfast radio that I can probably convince to give it some airtime too.”</p>
<p>“That would be incredible,” Tom smiled brightly. “Thank you so much.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome. But you didn’t come over for advice, let’s get writing and see if we can’t pull another banger out of our arses.”</p>
<p>They spent the afternoon throwing around lyrics and melodies, playing around with anything that came to mind, seeing what would stick until the sun began to set and Tom headed out for the evening. He said farewell to Harry, Anne and Robin on his way out, and  he and Rori, reconfirmed their plans for Tom to come back mid-morning the following day to continue working before she and Harry left for New York.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Sunday was far more productive, with the pair picking up on an idea they had tentatively thrown together the previous afternoon. Slowly the song began to take shape and as the afternoon progressed Aurora hooked up the microphones. They started to record sections of the song, with the piano forming the core, while Tom laid a drum track over the top using his beat pad. They discussed adding a guitar into some of the sections and Tom tried out a few different options before they settled on something that seemed to fit in with the sound they were aiming for. Eventually the progressed to recorded Tom’s vocal track and then sat around playing it back a few times, both with pinched expressions.</p>
<p>“Somethings missing,” Tom pointed out after their third listen.</p>
<p>“I know,” Rori agreed, “but I have no idea what it is.” After a while of moving elements around and trying to add instruments, she huffed in frustration before walking over to the door and yelling out down the hall. “Harry can you come down here a minute please?”</p>
<p>It turned out that she didn’t need to shout however, when Harry’s head popped out of the door to their home office right across the hall. </p>
<p>“What’s up?” He asked</p>
<p>“Oh, sorry. Thought you were at the other end of the house.”</p>
<p>“Nah, came down here after Mum and Robin headed off.” </p>
<p>“Can you come listen to a track and help us work out what’s wrong with it?”</p>
<p>Harry happily agreed and silently listened as they played the track, his thumb and forefinger pinching his bottom lip and his eyebrows creased together as he thought.</p>
<p>“Play it again for me?” he asked when the track ended and Tom hit play, seeming less frustrated by his lack of comment than Aurora was. She shuffled from one foot to the other impatiently as they all listened to the song again in complete silence. “You got the lyrics written down?” he finally asked when the song ended. Tom passed over Aurora’s handwritten lyrics and he scanned across the words, his eyes falling on the pre-chorus. “Try doing a call and response with this section,” Harry suggested after a few minutes. “Rori take the first line and alternate lines and then when you repeat the chorus, Tom take the first one, Rors you sing the second one.”</p>
<p>Aurora looked at Tom questioningly, shrugging as if to say, ‘why not?’ and then watched as he scrubbed through the instrumental track to a bar before the pre-chorus cut in. “Ready?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Let’s go,” Rori replied before clearing her throat.</p>
<p>Tom hit play and a beat later Aurora started singing, Harry smiling and nodding his head as the pair followed his suggestion.</p>
<p>
  <em>Everything we've been criticizing<br/>Well, I don't wanna live like that<br/>Overthinking and analysing<br/>Never gonna take it back<br/>I thought I was winning, but I was dying<br/>Everything we never had<br/>Losing you is what I want fighting<br/><br/>Of all the battles that I've won<br/>They don't matter now you're gone<br/>Nothing matters now you're gone<br/>Of all the battles that I've won<br/>They don't matter now you're gone<br/>Nothing matters now you're gone</em>
</p>
<p>“That’s what you were missing,” Harry said when they finished. “Have fun,” he added, kissing her softly before leaving the studio.</p>
<p>“He’s not wrong,” Tom said with an excited grin. “That sounded great.”</p>
<p>“It does seem to work well as a duet,” Rori agreed. “Guess you’ll have to figure out who to feature on it with you.”</p>
<p>“Think I already did,” Tom replied with a pointed look at her.</p>
<p>“You sure?</p>
<p>“Never been surer,” he said. “You said you like the collaborative aspect of music and there’s nothing more collaborative than a duet now is there?”</p>
<p>“You’ve got a point,” Rori admitted with a blush. “Better start looking at how to split the song up then.”</p>
<p>They both put their heads together, divvying up the verses and trialling out different arrangements over the course of the afternoon, only stopping when Harry returned a few hours later to remind Rori that they needed to leave soon to make their flight.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. New York & Saturday Night Live: April 2017*</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter but I'm finally back at work after 75 days in lockdown. Updates will probably be a bit more spaced out than they were in Parts 1 &amp; 2 but please know that I am still working away at it and I already have so many future chapters planned out that I'm really excited for.</p>
<p>This chapter is a bit of a long one and I thought about splitting it in half but figured you deserved the treat after waiting patiently. </p>
<p>Don't forget to leave a comment if you're enjoying the series and let me know what you think.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time Aurora woke up Monday morning, Harry’s side of the bed was cold, and he had long since left for the day. Since he would be appearing in multiple sketches on the upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live, he was needed for rehearsals all week. Aurora was thankful that she and the rest of the band weren’t needed until Friday and instead she was able to sleep in. Their flight had arrived in New York well after midnight and by the time they made their way to the tower they had both decided to head straight to bed. Aurora was fairly certain her father would have still been awake, working in his lab but she was far too tired for a reunion after hours on a plane.</p>
<p>Once she managed to roll herself out of bed and get dressed for the day ahead, Aurora made her way down the hall to the open plan kitchen/living area of the penthouse with its wide, floor to ceiling wall of windows looking out over the sprawling expanse of Central Park. Both Tony and Steve were sitting on the stools at the kitchen’s island bench, waiting for their daughter to wake up. Steve had seen Harry earlier that morning as he was leaving, and Steve had been coming back from his early morning run. Both he and Tony were eager to have their daughter home for an entire week and while Steve was happy to sip on his tea and read the morning while they waited, Tony was practically vibrating in his seat with barely contained excitement. Steve’d had to stop him twice from having JARVIS ‘accidentally’ wake Aurora up, so Tony was unsurprisingly the first out of his seat when she finally appeared.</p>
<p>Aurora was grinning widely and broke into a fit of giggles as her father rushed over and lifted her off the ground in a crushing hug. Despite having seen each other only two weeks ago, the craziness of the wedding hadn’t really allowed them much time to just hang out together and prior to the wedding they had spent a solid 5 months apart given the last minute changes to their Christmas plans in the wake of Johannah’s death.</p>
<p>“Missed you Dad,” she said, returning the tight hug.</p>
<p>“Missed you too Kiddo,” Tony replied, finally setting her back on her feet and allowing her to cross the room and fall into Steve’s arms.</p>
<p>The small family spent the entire day together, watching a movie and then moving down to Tony’s workshop in the afternoon so that he could work on a prototype for Stark Industries while Steve and Rori sketched on the sofa. It was reminiscent of how they had spent many evenings shortly after Rori first came to live with her fathers, the memories of those long nights brought a soft smile to her face as she sketched Dumm-e and Butterfingers, where they were attempting to help Tony, but instead were causing more problems than they were able to solve. Harry found them all there when he arrived back to the tower later that evening, grinning excitedly as he launched into his recounting of his first day with the SNL cast.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Since first meeting her father’s childhood best friend, James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, three years ago, Aurora had slowly come to see him as a member of the family. For the first year that they had both lived in the tower together, they had coexisted amicably but had been far from friends, nothing close to the way Aurora was with the rest of the team. Even as her relationship with Sam had flourished quickly as he acclimatized to life as an Avenger she had struggled to be around Bucky. He hadn’t held her distant behaviour against her, knowing that while most of the team had been able to separate the actions of the Winter Soldier from Bucky himself, Aurora had struggled to accept into her home the man who had tried, on several occasions, to assassinate one of her fathers. Following the Columbia Shooting, she had surprised him by seeking him out during her recovery and their friendship had bloomed after her amputation surgery. Now, many years later Bucky easily filled the role of another uncle in Aurora’s life, a shift that had made Steve overwhelmingly happy.</p>
<p>It was late Tuesday afternoon and Steve went in search of his daughter, having not seen her since they’d shared lunch together. He expected to see her in the workshop with Tony, however his husband said he hadn’t seen her since breakfast. With the help of JARVIS he finally found her on one of the lower floors, the one shared by Sam, Bucky and Rhodey when he was in town. She was in the living room sitting across the table from Bucky, a game of Battleship between the pair. Steve suppressed a chuckle as he joined the pair, well aware by now of how much his best friend and his daughter enjoyed playing a variety of tabletop games together. Many arguments had been started over a game of backgammon or canasta.</p>
<p>“Who’s winning?” he asked, pulling up a chair beside Aurora and throwing an arm around her shoulders.</p>
<p>“I’m kicking his ass,” she smiled.</p>
<p>“She’s getting cocky,” Buck replied, “and it’s going to backfire on her in a minute.”</p>
<p>“Of course it is,” Aurora said, her tone dripping in sarcasm.</p>
<p>The game continued for a while, Aurora cheering and taunting when she sunk another of Bucky’s ships, mocking him mercilessly when he continued to miss her own turn after turn.</p>
<p>“I don’t understand why you always beat me,” he moaned when she won. “I mean surely your luck has to run out eventually.”</p>
<p>“It’s not luck, Bucky,” Rori laughed. “It’s about strategy and reading your opponent and I hate to tell you, but you are entirely predictable.”</p>
<p>“I’ll have you know I’m an excellent battle strategist,” Bucky retorted.</p>
<p>“Apparently you’re not,” Aurora bit back, a wide smile gracing her face. Steve let out a loud peel of laughter at their bickering.</p>
<p>“Excuse me,” JARVIS interrupted. “Miss Stark, you requested that I alert you when young Mr Styles returned to the tower.”</p>
<p>“Thanks J,” Rori replied, kissing her fathers’ cheek and jumping to her feet, ready to head towards the elevator.</p>
<p>“Miss Stark?” Steve asked.</p>
<p>“He said that Dad programmed him to call me that and no marriage certificate is gonna change it,” Rori explained with a roll of her eyes. “Dad could probably get him to stop but honestly I like it. I didn’t get to be a Stark for very long so it’s nice to be one when I come home.”</p>
<p>“You’ll always be a Stark, bug,” Steve promised, returning the kiss on her cheek and watching as she left the room in search of Harry on the upper floors of the Tower.</p>
<p>“Enjoying having her home?” Bucky asked.</p>
<p>“Absolutely,” Steve answered. “I miss her when she’s not here. Tony does too, even if he won’t admit it. She grew up too fast on us.”</p>
<p>“Can’t have been easy not meeting her until she was practically all grown up,” Bucky pointed out.</p>
<p>“No, you’re right,” Steve agreed. “Sometimes I wish we’d got to raise her, but I’d also never want to have taken away any of the time she got with her mom.”</p>
<p>“You and Tony ever think of having another kid?”</p>
<p>“We’ve talked about,” Steve said. “It’s not very easy process. The worlds come a long way since the 40’s Buck, but it’s still hard for two men to adopt. It certainly doesn’t help that we’ve got such dangerous jobs.”</p>
<p>“Guess that makes sense,” Bucky replied. “Never known you to back down from something just because it’s hard or because someone tells you no, though.”</p>
<p>“You might have a point there. Seems we’ve managed to accidently adopt Peter over the years so maybe we’re just meant to keep collecting teenagers.”</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Something Aurora loved about the city was the way that New Yorkers didn’t care about anyone around them. Everyone was busy getting from one place to another and had very little time or care to look at those surrounding them on the crowded sidewalks. Aurora could easily wander the streets without being hassled as she went about her day. Occasionally a tourist would recognize her, but more often than not, a large pair of sunglasses and a hat pulled low would hide her enough to avoid all but the most astute fan. She wore a loose oversized cardigan which hung over the tips of her fingers completely concealing her prosthetic hand as she headed through the streets of midtown Manhattan, her hands full of shopping bags as she walked back towards Avengers Tower. She could have halved the time to get home by taking the subway, but the weather was nice, so she enjoyed the walk, reaching the towers lobby a little after 2 in the afternoon. </p>
<p>By the time she stepped out of the elevator and into the penthouse, she noted Steve, Clint and Bucky sprawled out on the sofas in front of the tv. She dropped her shopping bags onto the floor and launched herself onto the sofa cushion next to Steve, curling herself into his side as his arm fell around her shoulders, hugging her tightly against him. </p>
<p>“Where’ve you been all day?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Went shopping,” Rori explained.</p>
<p>“Do I want to know?” he asked with a soft chuckle.</p>
<p>“I bought wigs.”</p>
<p>“Why on earth are you buying wigs?” Clint butted in.</p>
<p>“Because with the tour coming up,” Rori said, “I want to try out some different hair colours, but I’ve never bleached my hair before and I’m honestly terrified of ruining my hair. So, wigs.”</p>
<p>“Do we get a fashion show?” Steve asked.</p>
<p>“Maybe later,” she mumbled, yawning widely before resting her head back against Steve’s shoulder and staring, glazed eyes at the tv. </p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>The following day, Sam found Rori sitting alone against one of the large windows, hugging her knees tightly against her chest as she stared out over the city. </p>
<p>“Hey, you,” he said as he took a seat next to her on the floor. “You ok?”</p>
<p>“Yeah I’m good,” she replied, her voice soft and a little distant, her gaze remaining on the view spread out beneath them. </p>
<p>“Remember when you promised me you wouldn’t lie about how you were feeling,” Sam reminded her.</p>
<p>She sighed, her shoulders sagging and her head leaning forward to rest against the cold glass. “I had a panic attack last week,” she mumbled. </p>
<p>“When you got home to London?” he asked.</p>
<p>She shook her head. “On the last day of our honeymoon. This thunderstorm came rolling in out of nowhere the day before we flew home, and I just freaked out and ruined everything. I thought I was getting better.”</p>
<p>“You are getting better,” Sam argued. “This is the first panic attack you’ve had in months. That’s a huge improvement.”</p>
<p>“But I thought they were gone,” Rori sobbed. “I was just starting to feel normal again but I’m never going to be like I was.”</p>
<p>“No, you’re not,” he agreed. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but PTSD isn’t something you just get over. It’s going to be with you for the rest of your life, but that doesn’t have to mean there’s anything wrong with you and I’m sure Harry didn’t think you ruined the trip.”</p>
<p>“Of course he didn’t, he’s Harry,” she said. “He’s always so supportive and just wants to help me through it. It’s not even really about last week,” she admitted. “It’s more about what it says about the rest of the year. The rest of my life. When Harry asked me to join his band, I was terrified that somehow, I would do something to ruin it all, like that somehow my prosthetic would malfunction, and I’d ruin a show. Now I’m wondering what will happen if I have a panic attack at a show? There are so many things that can go wrong, and he’s worked so hard for all of this. I’ll never forgive myself if I do anything to damage that.”</p>
<p>“What happens if Mitch slips over in the rain and breaks his hand and can’t play the guitar? What if Sarah gets the flu and has to sit out a few shows? What if something happens with Adams kids and he has to leave the tour?” Sam asked. “There are so many what ifs and things that can go wrong but did you notice how none of those things had anything to do with anyone’s disabilities? There are things in your life that are going to be more challenging for you than they would have been if you hadn’t been shot. You can’t let that stop you from living. I’m sure Harry and Jeff have all kinds of plans in place for what happens if one of you gets sick and can’t perform, so maybe you should talk to them about your concerns and you can have some plans in place and that will help with the anxiety of it all.”</p>
<p> “You know I really hate when you’re right Sam,” Aurora mumbled, the corners of her lips twitching.</p>
<p>“I know,” he smirked. “But one of these days you’ll learn to accept that I’m never wrong.”</p>
<p>Aurora stuck her tongue out at him before letting out a tired sigh. “I’m just so exhausted. Like, my brain just never stops stressing over these tiny little things and it’s so exhausting to constantly be worrying about everything. I mean Christ, I chipped my nail polish at lunch and it’s all I’ve been able to think about for the last few hours which is ridiculous because who cares if my nail polish is chipped, but I’m going to be on live tv in two days and what if they want a shot of my hands while I’m playing and it’s not like I have time to go get them redone now.”</p>
<p>“Why not just tell the camera operators not to set up that shot?” Sam asked, always the rational voice. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Rori nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”</p>
<p>Having said his piece, Sam stood up after giving her shoulder a quick squeeze and then walked away, leaving her to think about what he’d said. She was still sitting on the floor beside the window deciding how to bring her anxieties to Harry without adding to his already full plate when Nat appeared beside her. “Heard you could do with a manicure,” she said.</p>
<p>She extended her hand, helping Aurora up off the floor and then led her to the elevator and down to her personal floor. Nat didn’t press Aurora to talk as they settled down in her living room and set about removing the chipped polish from the nails of her right hand. Rori was grateful for the silence, not sure that she had the energy to carry a conversation but also glad that she wasn’t alone. Where others in the tower felt that they needed to distract her from her anxiety, it was always Nat that provided what she needed without her ever having to ask. Her thoughts whirled in her head as Nat applied the new pale yellow polish to her nails in slow, methodical strokes, Sam’s advice echoing in Aurora’s ears.   </p>
<p>“You seem stressed,” Nat finally said as she finished the topcoat on the last nail.</p>
<p>“Just nervous about the show on Saturday,” Rori replied softly. “Live TV doesn’t leave any room for error.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure you’ll all do great,” Nat promised with a warm smile. “Now lay back and I’ll do a face mask and help you relax. You’re way too tense for a 22 year old.”</p>
<p>Aurora did as she was told without argument, laying back and closing her eyes as Nat spread the cool clay over her face and then she started massaging her long fingers into Rori’s scalp. Once the mask was finished and Nat had cleaned it away with a warm cloth, she set about rubbing moisturizer onto Rori’s face, soothing the pinched muscles between the younger woman’s brow until she fell asleep under Nat’s hands.  </p>
<p>When Harry arrived back at the tower a little over an hour later he found most of the team in the penthouse, however his wife was conspicuously absent from the group. He asked JARVIS if she was downstairs in either of the studios, his brow furrowing when the AI informed him that she was in Agent Romanoff’s private quarters and he headed for the elevator.</p>
<p>Nat was sitting on the other sofa across from where Rori was sleeping peacefully, a book in hand when JARVIS’ voice filled the room and she was thankful that she had asked the AI to lower its volume when Aurora had fallen asleep.</p>
<p>“Mr. Styles is requesting access to your floor Agent Romanoff,” JARVIS announced in a hushed whisper.</p>
<p>“Tell him to come in,” Nat replied in an equally soft tone.</p>
<p>A few moments later, the elevator doors opened at the end of the hall and Harry strolled into the room, his eyes immediately falling to his sleeping wife. “Hey,” he whispered to Nat. “Everything ok here?”</p>
<p>“She was getting a bit anxious about Saturday, so we had a bit of a spa day to help her calm down,” Nat explained.</p>
<p>Harry nodded and then headed over to the sofa, sitting on its edge next to Aurora’s hip and reached out to trace his hand along her cheekbone. “Rors?” he soothed. “Time to wake up love.” As she began to stir, Nat left the room allowing the couple to have some privacy.</p>
<p>“You’re home,” Rori mumbled, her voice thick with sleep and a soft smile lifting the corners of her lips. “Missed you today.”</p>
<p>“Heard you had a bad day,” Harry said, pulling her up and into a tight hug. “Sorry I wasn’t here.”</p>
<p>“S’ok,” she replied as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. “Just got in my head a bit and spiralled.”</p>
<p>“Feeling better now?”</p>
<p>“Much,” she promised. “Always feel better when you’re here.”</p>
<p>“Mitch text me about 20 minutes ago that their flight landed so they’ll be here soon. Wanna come upstairs with me? Think Steve’s cooking a massive dinner.”</p>
<p>Aurora nodded her head and laced her fingers through Harry’s as the headed for the elevator doors.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Aurora tried to hold back her anxiety as she walked through the door with Harry, Jeff and the rest of the band Friday morning. She knew she was doing a poor job of it when Harry squeezed her hand tightly in an attempt to comfort her. She was angry at herself for her nervousness, knowing that she had performed on bigger stages in front of live audiences in the past, but she couldn’t seem to overcome the fear that she would make a mistake that would make Harry look bad. She could always deal with embarrassing herself, but the idea of screwing up everything that Harry had worked for was what truly made her terrified.</p>
<p>The set was a blur of activity and Harry led them down the halls towards the set where their equipment had been set up. Sarah headed straight to her drum kit and the boys picked up their guitars while Rori and Harry walked over to where the keyboards where a grand piano was waiting for her.   </p>
<p>“You look like you’re going to be sick babe,” Harry said. He kept his voice low, whispering in his wife’s ear as she sat down on her bench seat, not wanting draw anyone’s attention to their conversation. “I know you’re going to nail this. Just gotta trust me.”</p>
<p>“I know,” she replied. “God anxiety is such a bitch.” Harry chuckled at her little outburst and then he kissed the top of her head before walking over towards the microphone stand.</p>
<p>They spent the rest of the day running through the two songs they would perform the following evening. They discussed the lighting and camera set ups, making sure that everyone in the band and the crew knew exactly where they would stand and which way the equipment would move during the live broadcast. Occasionally they would take breaks for Harry to go work on the sketches he would be appearing in or they would stop so that Aurora could remove her prosthetic for a while. In the year since she had started wearing the prosthetic hand, Tony and Peter had redesigned the original many times, constantly upgrading and improving it’s coding to make it easier for her to wear for longer periods of time. Despite these upgrades, she still found it hard to wear for too long and after about 4 hours of prolonged use she would start to get horrible tension headaches from the transmitting device she wore behind her left ear. It was for this reason that the majority of their soundchecks were happening on Friday so that Aurora wouldn’t be required to play before the show was ready to go to air. She was always uncomfortable whenever plans had to change in order to accommodate her disability, but Harry had  assured her repeatedly over the course of the week that it was not a big deal and that they wouldn’t have been needed much on Saturday afternoon anyway, so it wasn’t even that much of a change to the schedule.</p>
<p>By the end of the day, Aurora was exhausted. They had taken plenty of breaks throughout the day, but she knew that she had definitely pushed herself, never wanting to be the one to call for a break and know she was paying for it. She had her prosthetic off and stuffed into her bag before they even reached the car that would take them all the few short blocks back to the tower.  She sat in the back seat beside Harry and let her head fall against his shoulder, closing her eyes for the quick 10 minute drive.</p>
<p>“You alright love?” Harry asked quietly as they pulled up in the underground carpark of the tower.</p>
<p>She hummed in response, letting him lead her out of the car and into the waiting elevator. “Just tired,” she promised. “It was a long day.”</p>
<p>“It was,” Harry agreed, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. “Went great though. Think tomorrow’s going to be amazing.”</p>
<p>Aurora wasn’t the only one who was tired and after such a long day of rehearsals, everyone in the band was happy to return to the tower, the inviting smells of dinner greeting them as they stepped out of the elevator to see the entire team crowded around the dining table, waiting for them. Aurora’s eyes lit up as she saw Peter at the table and immediately rushed over to him, pulling him out of his seat and into a hug, her exhaustion evaporated in the wake of seeing him again for the first time since they’d arrived back in town.</p>
<p>“God, where have you been all week?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Sorry been busy with school and patrols,” Peter replied. “I usually only have time to come over Friday nights and on the weekends.”</p>
<p>“Lucky we’re not leaving till Monday then,” Rori smiled. “Otherwise I wouldn’t get to spend any time with you at all. Now talk to me, how’s it feel to almost be finished with High School?”</p>
<p>Harry watched them with an amused smile as they sat next to each other, talking excitedly about Peter’s upcoming graduation and which colleges he had been accepted to. They barely stopped talking throughout the entire meal, completely oblivious to anyone else at the table. Harry hadn’t spent a great deal of time around Peter, given how much time he had spent on the road with One Direction or off filming Dunkirk while Aurora had still been living in the tower full time, but it didn’t really take a lot of time to understand why Tony, Steve and Rori had all rushed to absorb Peter into their little family. He was such a nice kid, always energetic and excited about anything going on everyone’s lives and he was joy to be around. He had so seamlessly fit into the family dynamic that everyone considered him a Stark in all bar name. Harry had once asked Rori about his place in the team, and she had smiled brightly, explaining how happy she was that while she and Steve had always had their art to bond over, she was relieved that Tony now had someone that could keep up with him in the lab and that he could teach Peter and watch him improve. She’d always wanted a little brother and now she had one in Peter. Tony and Steve had already experienced the emotional minefield of establishing parental roles without stepping on the memory of Rori’s mother, to it had been so easy for them to find a way to fill those same roles with Peter over the last few years without diminishing May’s place in his life or erasing the importance of Peter’s parents. The Avenger’s had always been a messy, happy, found family, and with the addition of Peter and May, and then with Mitch, Adam and Sarah, the family just seemed to keep expanding and Harry could see how much Aurora loved having each and everyone of them crowded into the penthouses dining room.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Saturday was a blur of activity and rushing around, and before Aurora realised someone was yelling that they were going live in 10 minutes. She was sitting out of the way with Sarah on one side of her and Adam on the other, waiting for their time to perform. Harry was off getting ready for the first sketch and they had a small tv hanging on the wall nearby so that they could watch the show while they waited. The first half of the show went off without a hitch and all four of them simply tried to keep out of everyone’s way until a technician came over to heard them towards the set. They were all situated behind their instruments by the time Harry joined them and he quickly ducked over to Rori for a good luck kiss before taking his place at the mic stand and waiting for the signal to start. One of Aurora’s knees was bouncing beneath the piano and there was a slight tremor in her right hand as she closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes on the darkened set. She tuned out the camera’s and the studio audience, her attention narrowing down to her instrument and Harry a few steps in front of her as she began the opening chords of the song. For a few brief seconds her piano was the only sound as the lights began to lift, and Harry’s voice rang out through the studio. As they hit the pre-chorus Rori and Sarah added their voices to the mix and then all of the other instruments joined as they entered the chorus. All of Aurora’s nerves disappeared as Harry belted out the lyrics of the chorus, and in the brief moment right before the second verse he turned, catching her eye and winking before returning to the microphone. In the final lines of the song, right in the middle of the most difficult notes, Aurora heard Harry’s voice falter and he missed a line. She tried to hide a grimace, knowing that he would be kicking himself for slipping at the end of the song. The moment the camera’s cut away she was at his side, arms wrapped tightly around his waist and he pecked her lips quickly. She attempted to comfort him before he was quickly whisked away to change into the costume for the next sketch.</p>
<p>By the time they returned to their little set for their second song Harry appeared to have shaken off the slip up and everyone, including Aurora, was buzzing with adrenaline and ready to go with their second performance. This time the grand piano was gone, and Aurora’s keyboard was positioned behind Harry’s spot at the centre of the stage. With all the sketches out of the way, Aurora watched happily as Harry allowed himself to enjoy the performance. As they finished the song and the audience cheered, Harry quickly pulled his guitar strap over his head and walked over to where Rori was seated behind the keys. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her softly. “That one was for you my love,” he whispered as their lips separated.</p>
<p>“So proud of you,” she whispered in reply. “You absolutely killed it tonight.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. London & Graham Norton: April 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The song in this chapter is Champagne by Lia Marie Johnson</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Styles’ returned to London a few days after SNL, along with Sarah, Mitch and Adam, who all stayed in their guestrooms  for the few days leading up to their appearance on the Graham Norton show the weekend following SNL. Everyone was sprawled out in the living room one afternoon while Aurora finished unpacking her bags from their brief trip back to New York and folded the fresh load of laundry that had just come out of the dryer. She paused in her task when her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket, smiling when she saw a notification of a text from her best friend.</p>
<p>
  <strong>◊Ella: Please tell me you don’t have any plans tonight?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>◊Aurora: Just hanging out at home while the band is staying. Why?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>◊Ella: Natalie just broke up with me and I could really use a girl’s night. Wanna go to Club de Fromage with me so I can get sloppy drunk and we can dance to trash music?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>◊Aurora: How about I come over and you can get wine drunk while we eat take out and watch a crappy movie?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>◊Ella: Deal. Would you mind popping into an offie on your way over?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>◊Aurora: Of course not babe. I’ll be there in about an hour. I’ll grab us a tub of ice cream too.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>◊Ella: You’re the best. I love you.</strong>
</p>
<p>Aurora headed out to the living room, interrupting the conversation.</p>
<p>“Hey, I’m heading over to Ella’s,” she said. “She just got dumped.”</p>
<p>“Poor thing,” Sarah replied. “We met her guy at that dinner you guys had a few months back, right?”</p>
<p>“Nah they broke up a while ago,” Harry corrected his friend. “She seemed really happy with this new girl though. I liked her.”</p>
<p>“Yeah so did I,” Rori agreed, “But you know El. She jumps from one relationship to the next and never really lets the dust settle between them. She needs a shoulder to cry on while she gets wasted so don’t wait up. I’ll probably end up staying the night.” She walked over to Harry, giving him a quick peck on the lips before saying goodbye to the rest of the group and heading out the front door.</p>
<p>Using her spare key, Aurora let herself into Ella’s flat and headed straight to the living room. She found her best friend on her sofa in a nest of blankets, her eyes red rimmed and her mouth downturned.</p>
<p>“Hey babe,” Rori said, falling into the seat next to her best friend and handing over the bottle of wine she picked up from the off license on her way over.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Ella sobbed, filling her glass and downing half of it in one gulp. “I really liked her Rors.”</p>
<p>“I know you did,” Rori sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Do you wanna talk about what happened?”</p>
<p>“She said I was too clingy,” Ella said. “Said she needed more space to breath.”</p>
<p>“Ok I’m gonna tell you something you don’t want to hear,” Rori replied, “and I just want to remind you that I’m saying this because I love you.”</p>
<p>“If you know I don’t wanna hear it, then maybe you could just not say it.”</p>
<p>Aurora ignored her. “You have shit taste in partners babe. We keep doing this dance where you come to me all excited about someone new and you jump in with both feet and you give everything you have to them and I love that about you but maybe next time you could try easing in a bit. Dip a toe instead of diving straight in and make sure they’re not going to drop and run before you invest.”</p>
<p>“You’re right,” Ella sighed, taking another sip of her wine, “I didn’t want to hear that.”</p>
<p>“You know I’m just worried about you, yeah?”</p>
<p>“I know. It just sucks you know. I see what you’ve got with Harry and I want that. I want someone who treats me like a queen. I want someone to want to jump with me.”</p>
<p>“And I promise you’ll find that person but maybe you’ve just got to give them a moment to catch up to you so that you can jump together.”</p>
<p>Ella let out  sob and leant over to rest her head against Aurora’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“I love you Rors,” she mumbled. “Don’t know what I’d do without you sis.”</p>
<p>“I love you too,” Rori replied. “Now what do you say we watch a movie while you polish off that bottle of wine?”</p>
<p>They settled back into the cushions, their arms wrapped around each other as the movie played on the screen in front of them, Aurora digging into the tub of mint choc chip ice cream, while Ella continued on her quest to polish off her bottle of wine. Eventually Rori paused the movie when she felt Ella shaking beside her, her face pressed into neck.</p>
<p>“I really liked her, Rors,” Ella whispered in the silence. “She was so incredible, and I really thought she liked me too.”</p>
<p>“You know I thought she was nice when we had lunch last month,” Aurora agreed, “but clearly she’s an idiot because she didn’t realise how god damn blessed she was to have you in her life.”</p>
<p>“Why couldn’t you have been queer?” Ella chuckled; her voice wet with tears. “We could have been so good together.”</p>
<p>“Sorry hon, I’m as straight as they come,” Rori laughed in response. “But if I was into girls, you would be at the top of my list.”</p>
<p>Ella sighed heavily, wiping at the tears staining her cheeks. “I need more booze. Pretty sure I’ve got a bottle of champagne tucked away at the back of my fridge that was left over from your wedding.”</p>
<p>Aurora laughed as she watched Ella disappear into her kitchen. “I was wondering how we managed to get through so many bottles. Of course, you took some home with you.”</p>
<p>“I’m a resourceful bitch!” Ella yelled from the kitchen, returning a few moments later with the now open bottle of champagne in hand. She forgo the glass, sipping straight from the bottle as she gripped the neck in one hand. “Here’s to champagne!” she jokingly cheered. “Here’s to the pain!”</p>
<p>Aurora looked at her friend for a brief moment, and then both women burst into laughter and Aurora pulled her phone from her pocket. She opened the notes app and started typing away.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Ella slurred.</p>
<p>“I’m writing that down because that’s gonna make a hell of a lyric when I’ve got a minute to work on it.”</p>
<p>“Glad I can be your muse once again,” Ella laughed. “At least you get plenty of material for breakup songs out of me.”</p>
<p>“It’s very generous of you,” Rori chuckled. “Only a real friend would go through all this so that I can have writing material.”</p>
<p>“At least there’s a silver lining to my train wreck of a love life.”</p>
<p>“It’s not a train wreck babe,” Rori promised. “It’s just a bit of a bumpy ride.”</p>
<p>They both fell asleep on the sofa hours later, the tv playing softly in front of them, the half finished tub of ice cream melting on the coffee table and the empty wine bottles sitting beside it.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>The apartment was quiet when Aurora returned home the following morning. “Hello?” she called, wandering through the kitchen towards the hallway leading to the studios and the guest rooms.</p>
<p>Sarah poked her head out of one of the doors. “Hey, you’re back!” she said. “The boys have all gone for a run in the park, but I honestly can’t think of anything worse.”</p>
<p>“I’m feeling inspired,” Rori said. “Feel like joining me in the studio?”</p>
<p>“I’m in,” Sarah agreed with a smile, following her down the hall into the recording studio. “How’s Ella?”</p>
<p>“Heartbroken and feeling sorry for herself,” Rori replied. “She’ll be ok though. She’s resilient.”</p>
<p>Aurora sat down at her piano as soon as they entered the studio and she immediately began playing the melody that she had been humming to herself as she drove home from El’s flat. She wasn’t wearing her prosthetic, so she was only playing the right hand of the tune, but it was enough for her to get a feel for it and she tinkered away with it for a bit before she started working a few lines of lyrics into it. The chorus came together quickly, each line falling into place as Rori worked and Sarah watched on silently.</p>
<p>
  <em>So, I’mma buy a bottle of the best champagne<br/>I’mma raise a glass all to myself in your name<br/>And I’mma cry if I want to, it's my party without you<br/>Here's to all the pain, champagne</em>
</p>
<p>“Oh, I love that,” Sarah said.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Rori smiled, already starting to think about the pre-chorus and the verses as the song took shape inside her head. “Swear I end up writing a breakup song every time someone hurts her. Just want this one to be like, ‘Yeah I’m hurt and I’m going to be sad tonight but then I’m getting over you and you’re the one that is going to miss out’, you know?”</p>
<p>“You want her to feel empowered,” Sarah agreed.</p>
<p>“I want any girl who gets her heart broken to feel like it’s not weakness to cry about it. You can be a strong woman and still be upset when you get hurt.”</p>
<p>The pre-chorus was the next section to come together and Aurora found herself smiling softly as she sang it, feeling like she was really hitting on something great.</p>
<p>
  <em>So, I'm putting on my favourite dress<br/>That you are gonna miss and never see again<br/>Yes, it's really over now<br/>You're so good at letting me down</em>
</p>
<p>By the time Harry, Mitch and Adam returned from their run, Aurora had retrieved her prosthetic and was fleshing out more of the melody. She smiled warmly as Harry lent on the door frame watching her work. Once she noticed him, she stopped playing and he made his way over to her side, kissing her temple.</p>
<p>“Another Ella-inspired breakup tune?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Of course,” Rori replied. “Have a good run?”</p>
<p>Harry hummed in reply. “How’s she doing?”</p>
<p>“Very hungover when I left,” she answered. “She’ll be alright though.”</p>
<p>“Gonna go jump in the shower and then I was thinking we could all head out for lunch.”</p>
<p>“Sounds perfect.”</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Performing on the Graham Norton show was far less pressure then SNL had been the previous week given that it was not a live broadcast and was only one song. Unfortunately, Aurora was still the person she was and still found herself with some pre-show jitters. After soundcheck, she sat next to Adam in the green room while they waited through the rest of the interviews. As soon as he saw her pressing the thumb of her prosthetic into the palm of her right hand, Adam knew that she was stressing and came over to show her his latest photos of his kids, providing the perfect distraction for her. Harry joined them as they were called to the set, taking Aurora’s hand in his, pulling her to her feet. Their fingers remained laced until he led her over to her seat behind the keyboard. The set was dark and the soft, barely there lighting offered them a brief moment of privacy from the excited audience sitting a few metres away from them. Aurora took the moment to smooth at the lapels of Harry’s black suit jacket, the soft, silky material gliding beneath her fingers and Harry gave her one last kiss before heading over to his microphone and Aurora took her seat.</p>
<p>Following the performance, Aurora was grinning from ear to ear as she headed backstage with the rest of the band and Harry walked over to join the other guests on the couch after giving Graham a quick hug. Along with Adam, Mitch and Sarah, Aurora watched on the monitor as Graham conducted the interview and Aurora was smiling proudly as Harry received the praise that she knew he well and truly deserved.</p>
<p>After introductions were made, Harry settled into the couch, grimacing as Graham opened the interview by talking about the monument fans had built to the time that he was sick on the side of the road years ago before moving on to talk about the single and plug the release of the album in a few weeks’ time.</p>
<p>“Now here’s the question,” Graham said. “So, you’re solo now, and this is all new to you. So, is it just lovely being by yourself or is there a bit of, ‘ooh I kind of, a tiny bit, miss being in the band?’”</p>
<p>“There’s so much more room in dressing rooms,” Harry joked. “But I don’t feel on my own. I have an amazing band, who I feel very lucky to get to play with.”</p>
<p>“I know you love them,” Rob interrupted. “I don’t doubt that. But, when you’re travelling with them, do they stay in as nice a hotel as you, or are they in a slightly, slightly fewer stars after its name? Be honest.”</p>
<p>Harry laughed, looking over his shoulder towards the stage in search of said band, not realising they had already headed backstage. “Where are they?” he chuckled.</p>
<p>“Oh, they’re gone now,” Rob replied.</p>
<p>“They’re back in the travel lodge,” Graham added causing Harry to burst out laughing. “They’re already stealing soap.”</p>
<p>“Because I know you love them,” Rob continued, “and you feel a great kinship with them, but do they stay in the same hotel as you.”</p>
<p>“Well my wife is in the band, so I’d get in a bit of shit if I stuck them in a travel lodge,” Harry said.</p>
<p>“Of course, congratulations on your recent marriage,” Graham interjected. “How’s that going?”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Harry replied. “It’s going really well. Although it’s only been three weeks and we’ve been doing press for the last two.”</p>
<p>“The poor thing, getting dragged around, having to listen to you talk about yourself all the time,” Rob joked.</p>
<p>“I’m sure she’s used to that by now,” Graham laughed. “Now moving on, here’s the thing. Being a cultural icon, all sorts of stories get written about you and I thought it would be fun to just go through some of the mad stories that have been in the papers over the years.”</p>
<p>“Oh god,” Harry muttered, knowing that Rori would be nearly in tears backstage thinking about the more outlandish rumours that had been made up about him over the years. “This could be fun.”</p>
<p>Harry was indeed right in that Aurora was laughing hysterically backstage, taking particular pleasure in the mention of the Obama rumour that had been one of her favourites back in the day.</p>
<p>As the interview segment came to an end, Graham turned around to look at the tv behind him. The big red chair appeared on the screen and Harry laughed along with the other guests and the audience as people told their stories and occasionally had the chair tipped backwards on them. The last person to sit down in the chair had Harry burying his face in his hands with a groan. The audience cheered as the woman in the chair offered a cheeky grin and wave. Graham chuckled while Rob Brydon and Vicky McClure laughed next to Harry and Brendon O’Carroll at the far end of the couch looked on in confusion. </p>
<p>“Hello,” Graham said. “What’s your name?”</p>
<p>“My names Aurora,” she replied, laughing softly as she watched Harry’s reaction on the monitor in front of her. </p>
<p>“I feel like they know something we don’t,” Brendon said, gesturing towards the audience and glancing at Harry. </p>
<p>“That’s my wife,” Harry explained, his cheeks ablaze with blush. “And I feel like I’m not going to like whatever story she’s about to tell.”</p>
<p>“Aurora, what’s your story love?” Graham asked, grinning devilishly as he watched Harry fidget nervously.</p>
<p>“Ok so about 3 years ago I joined Harry on tour with the band and the thing about travelling on a tour bus with four other boys is that there’s not a lot of privacy. So, one night after a show…”</p>
<p>Harry immediately recognised the tale Rori was gearing up to tell and launched himself off the sofa and ran over to the lever, pulling it back and tipping the chair. The crowd laughed hysterically as did the other guests on the sofa.</p>
<p>“That’s enough of that I think,” Harry said, his face still bright red.</p>
<p>“Well now I’m very intrigued,” Graham replied with a chuckled. “But Harry’s right that’s all we’ve got time for tonight. Please thank my lovely guests; Mr Harry Styles, Rob Brydon, Vikki McClure and Brendon O’Carroll.”</p>
<p>As he made his way backstage, Harry sought out his wife straight away. “You’re in big trouble,” he warned as she broke into a fit of giggles. “Bloody minx you are.”</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Harry’s schedule was flat out after the Graham Norton show, moving from one interview to the next over the following weeks. Despite how busy he was, he couldn’t argue that he wasn’t having the time of his life getting to talk music and share with the world a project that he had been working on for so long and that he was so proud of. After the first few performances, both he and Aurora were able to shake off their nerves and start to really enjoy <em>Sign of the Times</em> and the other songs off the album that they slowly started adding to the performances as May 12<sup>th</sup> inched closer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A week of the Late Late Show: May 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it's been 3 weeks since the last chapter but I'm back at work and with Christmas approaching I can't promise I'll upload frequently although I do have a lot planned out for the rest of this story. I'm going to aim for monthly chapter updates. </p><p>The songs written by Aurora and mentioned in this chapter are Perfect Color - SafetySuit, I'll Be There - Jess Glynne, and Feel Good - Gryffin ft. Daya. </p><p>Hope you enjoy and always please don't forget to comment and check out tumblr for the instagram posts that accompany this story :) https://abundanceofsoph.tumblr.com/post/631943222474801152/skyfire-3-the-styles-solo-era</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aurora and Harry were smiling as they climbed out of their hire car and were instantly greeted by James Corden and ushered into his home. They had driven straight from the airport, not even taking the time to drop off their luggage at the Malibu Mansion where Tony had lived before relocating to New York after building the tower and meeting Steve. James led them inside where his wife Jules immediately pulled them into hugs and the children ran around their feet excitedly. It had been a few months since they had seen them, and Aurora was shocked by how much they had grown in such a short time. Max had recently turned 6, while little Carey was nearing her 3<sup>rd</sup> birthday and the pair were such perfect combinations of their parents that they melted Aurora’s heart. As soon as Jules released Rori from their hug, Max grabbed her hand, tugging her into the playroom to show her his new toys. She happily sank to the floor, crossing her legs underneath her and smiling enthusiastically as Max handed her one toy after another, chattering away excitedly about where he got them, and which ones were his favourites. Harry joined them a few moments later, Carey resting on his hip as she also babbled away happily. The young couple gave their full attention to the children for the net hour until Jules declared it time for bed. Both children were reluctant to leave the room but after both Aurora and Harry pinky promised that they would be in town all week and would definitely visit again soon, they finally allowed their mother to lead them upstairs to their rooms.</p><p>They joined James in the kitchen where he poured a glass of wine for both himself and Harry and some of Jules’ homemade iced tea for their wives. It was a nice late spring evening and they ended up sitting out on the back patio with their drinks as the sun was slowly sinking into the horizon. James asked about the album launch and the show they had played the previous night in London and Harry launched into an animated recount of the show. Jules joined them shortly after they sat down, sighing as she sank into her seat and announced that the kids were successfully asleep.</p><p>As the boys started discussing James’ plans for the following few days on the show, Rori turned to Jules, asking about what she had been up to in the last few weeks since she and James had attended the wedding. Aurora had always loved kids and was especially soft when it came to Max and Little Carey, so she happily hung on every word as Jules recounted stories of silly things the kids had said or done. Aurora laughed as Jules spoke about Carey’s new favourite saying, ‘I do it’; apparently, she had entered into her independent phase and was wanting to do everything for herself, much to the exasperation of her parents. It was stories like these, and the afternoons spent playing with the kids that made Aurora dream of the time when she and Harry would be ready to start having children of their own. She was in no hurry, knowing that now, at the beginning of Harry’s new solo career, was the absolute worst time to try for a baby. Despite not wanting children for at least a few more years, she was so incredibly excited for their future family, a sentiment she knew her husband shared with her. They stayed until well after the sun had set before saying goodnight and driving down the coast towards the Stark family mansion on the Malibu cliffs. Rori smiled as they stepped into the large foyer and was greeted by a flood of memories of summers spent there with her parents and late nights sitting down on the beach.</p><p>xXx</p><p>The following morning Aurora woke early to make breakfast for Harry, knowing that he would be feeling a little nervous about the day ahead. He smiled softly at the blueberry pancakes placed in front of him as he took his seat at the kitchen table.</p><p>“Thanks babe,” he said, kissing Rori’s cheek as she sat down next to him with her own plate of pancakes. They ate together, talking about their days ahead, and all the segments James had planned for the week ahead. Once breakfast was finished, Aurora walked Harry to the front door and kissed him goodbye and good luck before he climbed into the hire car to drive into the city to the CBS studios. The moment Harry disappeared at the end of the drive, Aurora headed back into the house, busying herself with cleaning up the breakfast dishes and then watched impatiently as the clock slowly ticked away the minutes, eagerly waiting for JARVIS to announce the arrival of her guest. As soon as James had invited Harry on the show, Rori had decided that she would make the most of the opportunity, given how infrequently they were able to spend time on the west coast. She let out an excited squeal as JARVIS announced the car's arrival and she was out the front door by the time it parked out the front of the cliff top mansion. The moment Louis stepped out of the car, Aurora had her arms around him, only letting go long enough for him to retrieve the gorgeous 16 month old from the back seat. </p><p>“Oh my goodness, look at you!” Aurora cooed excitedly as soon as she saw Freddie in his father's arms. “You just keep getting cuter and cuter.” Louis chuckled at her reaction, immediately offering his son for her to hold and she happily took him into her arms, bouncing him on her hip as she led the way back into the house. “You’ve gotten so big!” she told the baby. “Gonna grow up big and strong and handsome just like your dad.” She wasn’t lying when she told Freddie that he had grown given that she hadn’t seen him since a few weeks before his first birthday, when his mother had graciously flown over to the UK with him when Louis' mother had passed away. Aurora had made sure to sneak many cuddles with him during his visit and had immediately become obsessed with the little baby who looked so much like his father. </p><p>“I’m so glad the timing worked out for this,” Rori said as she lay on the floor a little while later, playing with Freddie. “Wish we could get out here more often to see him, you know?”</p><p>“I actually mentioned that to Bri when I picked him up this morning and she said you should visit when you’re back in town on tour. Don’t always need to have me around to go see him.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Rori asked. “It wouldn’t be weird?”</p><p>“Course not love,” Louis scoffed. “You’re his family, I mean Harry’s his bloody godfather. Besides I know Bri liked you the couple of times we all hung out together so I’m sure she’d love to get together for a coffee or something.”</p><p>“We’ll in that case I might have to find more excuses to fly out here.”</p><p>Louis put Freddie down for a nap on the large sofa, with plenty of pillows surrounding him to make sure he didn’t roll off, and then he and Aurora make coffee in the kitchen and chatted about the upcoming tour and what Louis had been up to. After Freddie woke up and it started getting closer to dinner time, Rori text Harry to see how late he would be home. </p><p>
  <strong>◊Aurora: How’s it going babe? Lou and I were just starting to think about dinner, and I wanted to check in on your plans.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>◊Harry: Wanna get Lou to drive you in and we can all get something to eat around here?</strong>
</p><p>Aurora looked up from her phone to repeat the question to Louis. He quickly agreed and they headed out to the car, loading Freddie in his car seat before making their way into the city. </p><p>They pulled into the CBS lot about an hour later and after texting Harry to let him know that they had arrived, he quickly met them outside. Harry was just as excited to see his godson as Aurora had been and happily climbed in the back of Louis car to sit next to the little bub as he babbled away. </p><p>The three friends chatted excitedly throughout dinner, always happy to be back together again even if only for a short time. Freddie spent most of the meal in either Rori’s lap or Harry’s since neither wanted to miss out on a single moment with the adorable little boy.</p><p>“How long you in town for Lou?” Harry asked towards the end of the meal.</p><p>“Just till tomorrow evening,” Louis replied. “Rori and I are gonna take Fred to Griffith Park and take him on the miniature train and then I’m flying out after dinner to head back to Donny.”</p><p>“We’ll have to try and catch up over summer before the tour kicks off,” Harry replied. “Feel like we’re not gonna see you otherwise.”</p><p>“Absolutely,” Louis agreed. “When you flying back?”</p><p>“I’m heading to Manchester after the Troubadour show Saturday night and Rors is spending next week in New York before meeting me up there. Back in London in few weeks for a gig on the 10<sup>th</sup>.”</p><p>“Everything ok with Robin?” Louis asked, noticing the way Harry didn’t seem excited to be heading home for a few weeks like he usually would be.</p><p>“Mum said he’s not doing well,” Harry admitted, his voice soft and edged with the threat of tears. “Wanna try and spend as much time as I can with him.”</p><p>“You let me know if you need anything, yeah?” Louis said. “You guys were incredible for me last year, so anything you need and I’m there.”</p><p>“Thanks Lou,” Rori said.</p><p>“Anyway,” Louis said, obviously trying to change the topic in the face of Harry’s dark mood change. “What’s got you heading to New York? Just seeing the family?”</p><p>“I’m actually gonna be in Vogue,” Rori replied. “They interviewed me last week and the photoshoot is next week.”</p><p>“That’s awesome!” Louis replied. “What’s the story about?”</p><p>“Marriage in the public eye. Touring with a disability,” Rori answered. “Just kind of a bit of a bio piece on my life, I guess. I’m honestly not entirely sure. We talked about all sorts of things, so it’ll be exciting to see what they put together for it.”</p><p>Unfortunately, Harry’s mood didn’t recover as they finished the meal, and they didn’t stay much later, all heading to their cars and saying goodnight. Harry remained quiet as he drove along the Malibu coast and Aurora decided to leave him to his thoughts, her fingers laced with his as their hands rested on her thigh and she squeezed his hand occasionally as a silent reminder that she was there if he needed her.</p><p>“Been a long day,” he mumbled when they arrived back at the house. “Think I might just head straight to bed.”</p><p>“Ok,” Rori agreed. “I’ll be up soon.”</p><p>xXx</p><p>Harry seemed back to his energetic self the following morning as they shared breakfast once again before he left for the studio and Aurora got ready for her day out with the Tomlinson boys. Louis picked her up midway through the morning and the pair laughed and sang along to the radio as they drove to Griffith Park. Rori smoothed out her yellow sundress as she climbed out of the car after Louis parked, slipping a pair of sunglasses on and throwing her handbag over her shoulder. She scooped Freddie out of his car seat while Louis unfolded the stroller, cuddling the toddler close and tickling him while he giggled adorably. They headed into the park and the moment Freddie spotted the trains he began wriggling in Aurora’s arms, desperate to be put down so that he could run over to them. Louis laughed as he pulled his son into his arms after watching Rori struggle to maintain her one handed hold on him for a few moments.</p><p>“Easy mate,” he told the little boy. “We’ll get there in a minute.”</p><p>Rori took over pushing the stroller, watching fondly as the father and son interacted. She didn’t often get to see Louis as a dad, but the past few days had shown her just how perfectly he fit into the roll. She wasn’t at all surprised, given how protective and caring he was towards his sisters, but it was nice to be able to witness his parental side.</p><p>They rode the trains for a while, before settling down at a picnic bench for lunch and Freddie quickly fell asleep for a nap in the stroller, exhausted from all the excitement.</p><p>“He really loves trains,” Rori chuckled.</p><p>“Obsessed with the bloody things,” Lou replied. “Started bringing him here every time I’m in town and he just goes mental for ‘em.”</p><p>“Do you wish you spent more time out here with him?” she asked softly.</p><p>“Yeah,” Louis sighed. “But if I moved out here permanently, I’d miss my family and I’m all over the place for different gigs. I see him as much as I can now and when he’s a bit older maybe he can come stay with me for summer’s or something.”</p><p>“You’re amazing with him.”</p><p>“He makes it easy,” Louis scoffed. “You’re pretty great with him too. You and Harry feeling ready yet.”</p><p>“No,” Rori replied quickly. “We talk about it every now and then, but with the solo career just starting it’s not a good time. Maybe in a few years everything will be a  bit more settled.”</p><p>“Glad you’re both on the same page,” Louis nodded. “You’ll both be great parents.”</p><p>xXx</p><p>Following their day in Griffith Park, Louis drove Aurora home, arriving shortly before Harry returned and the couple sat down to dinner together out on the back patio looking out over the ocean.</p><p>The next morning after breakfast, Aurora joined Harry on his drive into the city, spending the day in the studio with him before they went back over to James and Jules’ house for dinner again. The kids were excited to see them again and they spent some time running around the back garden with them before sitting down to dinner.</p><p>“I’ve got to say Rori,” James said as Jules cleaned away the dishes from dinner, “it was great having you hang out at the studio today.”</p><p>“I had a lot of fun,” Rori agreed. </p><p>“Should have spent the last two days with us too,” James joked. </p><p>“Sorry but little Freddie made me a better offer.”</p><p>“I guess I can’t really argue with that,” James laughed.</p><p>“I’m looking forward to tomorrow though,” Aurora added. “I absolutely love Carpool Karaoke. Pretty sure it’s my favourite segment.”</p><p>“You know Harry actually mentioned that yesterday and I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it all day. We got a lot more filmed today then we thought we would so we’ve got a bit of extra time up our sleeves tomorrow and I was wondering if, after we film Harry’s Carpool, maybe you’d want to do one too and I can save it for an episode in a few weeks’ time. I always like to have a spare segment tucked away in case of emergency.”</p><p>“Really?” Rori asked, her face lighting up excitedly and causing Harry to chuckle. “Yeah, I’d love that.”</p><p>xXx</p><p>The following morning, after Harry climbed out of the black SUV, a large grin splitting across his face, Aurora bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet as James changed his shirt and prepared to film the second carpool segment. She was wearing a simple purple dress, her long dark hair curled softly and fanning out over her shoulders.</p><p>Aurora found herself a little nervous as she climbed into the car, smiling and chuckling as James thanked her for helping him get to work and asking if she minded if he played some music while they drove. She smiled excitedly as he queued up the first track for them, having no idea what 5 songs he had picked out and she was eager to see what he had pulled together, confident that Harry had also played a hand in picking the line-up. </p><p>The first song to play through the cars speakers was one that she had written many years ago and she let out a startled chuckle as the opening notes played out. </p><p>“I’m going to want the story behind this when it’s over,” James commented right before the lyrics began. </p><p>
  <em>Yellow nice to meet you<br/>Do you know that you just blue my mind?<br/>It was the perfect conversation, I think that I red about one time<br/>And I told a white lie when I told you</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I've never been green with envy, you<br/>You're the perfect colour</em>
</p><p>“Ok, so tell me,” James said as soon as the track came to an end. “I’ve been told the story behind this song is a good one, so spill.”</p><p>“Well years ago, when I used to join the lads on tour,” Rori began, smiling at the memories of touring with One Direction and how much fun they all had together during her summer breaks from Columbia. “On the days off in between shows, we’d often go grab dinner at a local pub and have a few drinks and we’d play this game where one person would come up with a challenge and on the back of a napkin we’d each write a verse or a chorus using the theme picked out and then we’d pick a winner. It could be anything like having to use a certain word or phrase, or not being able to use the letter A. One night the challenge was to use a different colour in every line, and I won the round with that chorus. Then while we continued on the tour, I couldn’t get it out of my head and eventually turned it into a complete song.”</p><p>“Did any other songs make it out of that game and out into the world?” James asked.</p><p>“Maybe a few,” Rori replied with a cheeky smirk, “But I’m not telling you which ones.”</p><p>“Spoil sport,” James huffed before moving on to the next song.</p><p>As Jess Glynne’s voice filled the car, Rori swallowed thickly around the lump in her throat and joined James in singing along. <em>I’ll Be There</em> had been released only a little over a month ago and had been a staple on every radio station since. When she’d first heard the final recording of the track, Aurora hadn’t been able to hold back her tears as she listened to her own words sung back to her so beautifully, but now after countless listens, she was able to listen without the overwhelming emotions and simply enjoy the track. </p><p>
  <em>When all the tears are rolling down your face<br/>And it feels like yours was the only heart to break<br/>When you come back home and all the lights are out, ooh<br/>And you're getting used to no one else being around</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh, oh, I'll be there<br/>When you need a little love, I got a little love to share<br/>Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna come through<br/>You'll never be alone, I'll be there for you<br/>I'll be there, I'll be there for you<br/>I'll be there, I'll be there for you<br/>Oh, I swear, I got enough love for two, ooh, ooh, ooh<br/>You'll never be alone, I'll be there for you</em>
</p><p>They sang the first verse and chorus before allowing the song to fade out and James looked across to where Rori was sitting next to him. </p><p>“You know this is one of my favourite songs at the moment,” he said, “and I think I was signing along to it for about a week before I found out it was one of yours.”</p><p>“Really?” Rori laughed. </p><p>“Really,” James echoed. “It’s too bloody hard to keep track to be honest. At this point I should just assume every hit is one of yours unless told otherwise.” Rori blushed deeply and giggled awkwardly in response to his glowing compliments. “I’m always so interested in the stories behind songs and I know your fans are always eager to hear, so what inspired this one?”</p><p>“Ummm…” Rori mumbled. “I actually wrote this one back around New Years for Louis,” she admitted, instantly knowing that Twitter would explode at this revelation. “For as long as I’ve known him, music has always been this beautiful way for us to have the conversations that are sometimes too hard to have and like the chorus says I just wanted him to know that through all of it, I’d be there.”</p><p>“And it really is a beautiful message,” James agreed, recognizing that Rori didn’t want to sit in these emotions any longer and he quickly segued into the next track and away from the painful memories of losing Jay. “You have such a way of putting so much emotion into your lyrics and I honestly think this next one is one of my favourites and I selfishly picked it because I’ve always wanted to hear you sing the final chorus.”</p><p>Rori’s smile returned as the acoustic version of <em>Feel Good</em> by Gryffin and Daya started up and she happily sang along, breathing deeply and reaching for the very high notes towards the end of the track. Causing James to fall silent as he watched her belt out the notes until the track finally ended. </p><p>
  <em>Take my hand in the middle of a crisis<br/>Pull me close, show me, baby, where the light is<br/>I was scared of a heart I couldn't silence<br/>But you make me, you make me feel good<br/>I like it</em>
</p><p>“So, like I was saying, there’s always such emotion in the songs you write,” James reiterated. “Do you find it difficult to trust other artists with songs about things that are so personal?”</p><p>“Sometimes,” Rori answered. “Every song comes from something in my life whether it’s something amazing or terrible and you leave a little part of you in your work, so it can be scary to give that away to someone else and trust them to take care of it, but I also love seeing what other people do with my lyrics. Sometimes they take it in a completely different direction and apply their own story and feelings to the song which changes it slightly and I always find that fascinating. Sometimes the song’s just too personal and I have to hold onto it for myself or Harry.”</p><p>James nodded as she spoke before queuing up the next song and happily joining Aurora in belting out the familiar lyrics to Fleetwood Mac’s <em>Seven Wonders</em>.</p><p>
  <em>If I live to see the seven wonders<br/>I'll make a path to the rainbow's end<br/>I'll never live to match the beauty again<br/>The rainbow's edge</em>
</p><p>After a quick chat about how she was looking forward to the upcoming tour with Harry, they played the final song and Rori couldn’t keep the cheek splitting grin of her face as she sang along to <em>Infinity</em>. Harry’s voice filled the car and she joined him in the chorus as they both belted out the high notes.</p><p>
  <em>How many nights does it take to count the stars?<br/>That's the time it would take to fix my heart<br/>Oh, baby, I was there for you<br/>All I ever wanted was the truth, yeah, yeah<br/>How many nights have you wished someone would stay?<br/>Lay awake only hoping they're okay<br/>I never counted all of mine<br/>If I tried, I know it would feel like infinity<br/>Infinity, infinity, yeah<br/>Infinity</em>
</p><p>By the time they pulled back into the studio lot, both Rori and James were a mess of laughter and giddy grins, climbing out of the car to be instantly greeted by Harry.</p><p>“How did go?” he asked as he wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist and walked them back inside.</p><p>“She was better than yours,” James joked.</p><p>“Don’t doubt it,” Harry agreed before placing a kiss on Rori’s temple. “Bloody talented this one. Can’t believe she’s settling for being in my backing band. Could be on a world tour of her own if she wanted to.”</p><p>“But she doesn’t want to,” Aurora added. “She would like lunch though.”</p><p>“Then lunch she shall have,” Harry laughed.</p><p>xXx</p><p>That night the final episode of Harry’s week on the Late Late show aired and the following evening he and the band played a gig at the Troubadour. Saturday afternoon the young couple said their goodbyes inside LAX before boarding their separate flights, one bound for Manchester while the other headed for New York. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Aurora in Vogue & saying goodbye to Robin: May-June 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoy and as always please don't forget to comment and check out tumblr for the instagram posts that accompany this story :) https://abundanceofsoph.tumblr.com/post/631943222474801152/skyfire-3-the-styles-solo-era</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stepping into the elevator of Avengers tower, Aurora felt all the stress of the past month leave her body. LA was always fun to visit, but it never felt like home the way NYC or London did and knowing she would be with her parents shortly, added to the feeling of comfort. After weeks of anxiety over the album being released, the pressure of performing again and the constant looming threat of Robins health, the thought of getting a hug from Steve was enough to bring tears to her eyes. The moment she stepped out into the penthouse, Steve and Tony were waiting for her and she gladly fell into Steve’s arms, immediately feeling Tony step behind her, his chest pressed against her back and sandwiching her in the middle of a family cuddle. She was grateful to be spending a week back home in the tower and excited for the photo shoot for Vogue in a few days’ time, however she couldn’t seem to avoid the anxious feeling in her gut whenever she thought of Harry.</p><p>She knew how deeply affected he was by his stepfather's continued deterioration and she wished that she had just cancelled the photo shoot and gone straight to Manchester with him to offer her support. Not only did she want to be there for her husband, but she also wanted to make the most of the short time she herself had left with Robin. She was desperately searching for a silver lining or really anything positive to hold on to and so far, all she had come up with was that she was grateful that they all had the opportunity to say goodbye to Robin. Her own mother’s passing had been so sudden and tragic, so she hoped that the time they had to spend with him and say farewell would help them process their grief just a little bit easier when the time finally came.</p><p>xXx</p><p>After spending a few days with her fathers, Aurora met with the photographer, designers and the rest of the team behind her photo shoot for her article in Vogue magazine. She wasn’t going to be on the cover of the magazine, instead only featuring in an article a few pages in and as such the photo shoot was not the grand spectacle you would assume it would be when Vogue was involved. Some of the photos were taken out on the quiet street outside the Queens photography studio, while the rest of the shoot took place inside. Aurora had plenty of fun, changing outfits and having her hair and makeup perfected and she chose to wear her prosthetic hand for some of the outfits, while leaving it off for others. By the end of the day, she was glad to be back in her own clothes and chatted away to Happy about the day as he drove her back across the East River.  </p><p>Steve had prepared a nice meal for the evening, and both he and Tony were waiting in the penthouse when she returned.</p><p>“It’s been so good to have you home this week kiddo,” Tony said while they ate. “We’ve missed you.”</p><p>“Missed you both too,” Aurora replied. “It’s been nice to just stop for a moment and hang out with you both. Everything is so hectic lately and it feels like Harry and I are always rushing to or from something. Get’s a bit much sometimes.”</p><p>“You know we’re always here when you need a break,” Steve promised, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder slightly.</p><p>“I know,” she smiled. “Means everything to know I can always come here, and it’ll feel like nothing’s changed.”</p><p>“Well some things might be a changing a bit,” Tony replied. “Steve and I have started looking into adoption or surrogacy.”</p><p>“You’re going to have a baby?” Aurora squealed, her face lighting up in delighted excitement. “Oh, that’s wonderful!”</p><p>“It won’t happen for a while,” Tony continued. “It’s not a simple process and there’s a lot of paperwork and the tower would need to be approved by a social worker and either Pops or I will need to take a lot of time off work, so nothing will happen any time soon. We just want you to be involved.”</p><p>“And I really want to be involved,” Rori replied. “This is going to be the luckiest kid in the world to have you two for parents.”</p><p>“You don’t think it’ll be weird to have a baby sibling when you’re old enough to be having your own kids?” Steve asked.</p><p>“Not at all,” she promised. “Besides you’re technically only 34 Pops. That’s not exactly too old to be having a baby you know.”</p><p>Tony stood from his seat and quickly pulled his daughter to her feet, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Gonna be such a lucky kid to have the best big sister in the world,” he mumbled in her ear and she simply squeezed him tighter before they were both enveloped by Steve’s arms.  </p><p>xXx</p><p>The day after Steve and Tony informed their daughter of their plans to expand their family, she packed her things and after a quick farewell, boarded a flight for Manchester. She was anxious the entire flight, pressing her thumb into the palm of her hand repeatedly or tapping her fingers on the tray table in front of her. Harry met her at the airport, his usual happy smile missing in action as he gave her a quick hug and then herded her back towards his car.</p><p>Aurora tried to enjoy her week in Holmes Chapel, she really did. She attempted to find the usual peace and comfort she usually felt when helping Anne in the kitchen, or when arguing with Harry over a game of scrabble about whether he was making up words, but all she felt, underlying every moment was looming dread. With every interaction between herself and anyone in the house she was painfully aware of the ticking clock hanging above their heads. Every time Robin coughed a little too hard or winced when he tried to stand up from the recliner in the living room, she was faced with the reality that she and Harry were there to say goodbye. She tried to hide it behind strained smiles and forced laughter, holding her tears off until everyone was asleep, and she could sneak outside to the back garden and let her sobs break free.</p><p>Despite knowing that it was very likely the last time she would see him, Aurora was grateful when it was finally time for her and Harry to return to London.  She felt as though she hadn’t taken a deep breathe since the moment she arrived, so as heartbreaking as it was to say goodbye for what she knew was very likely the last time, she was relieved to be also leaving behind the tense and terrifying atmosphere of the house. They both hugged Robin and Anne goodbye, holding on a few moments longer than usual and neither commented on the others tears as they pulled out of the driveway and merged onto the motorway headed south. There was nothing to say as the radio softly played, breaking what would have otherwise been tormenting silence as Harry drove.</p><p>xXx</p><p>After only a few weeks back in London and another tv performance, Harry received the call from his mother that they had been dreading for months on end. Robin had finally lost his battle against the disease that had been ravishing his body for near on a year. The moment Anne gasped out the terrible words, Harry’s world stopped turning. His breath caught in his chest, his ears rang in the silence that wrapped around him, and his knees buckled beneath him. Aurora was by his side the moment he fell to the floor, taking the phone from his loose grip and quietly taking over the conversation with Anne. They didn’t speak for long and after hanging up, Rori remained on the floor beside her husband, her arms wrapped tightly around him as he shook silently.</p><p>“Rori I can’t breathe,” Harry gasped after many long minutes of silence between the pair.</p><p>Aurora felt her heart breaking as she held him tightly against her, his face buried in the crook of her neck as he shuddered. “I know, H,” she soothed. “I know, I’ve got you.”</p><p>“It hurts,” Harry continued to sob. “I know he wasn’t my dad but…”</p><p>“No,” Rori interrupted. “Don’t you try that shit Harry, not with me.” She pulled him away from where his face was buried against her, each of her hands cupping his cheekbones, forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Don’t you dare try to tell me that Robin wasn’t your father. Because if that’s true then Steve isn’t mine and I know losing him would hurt just as much as losing Mum did. He wasn’t your blood, but he was your dad and you’re allowed to feel this. Do you hear me Harry? You get to feel this. All of it. It hurts this much because he mattered, and he loved you. I know that you know that.” </p><p>“I can’t. I can’t do this Rors.”</p><p>“You can and you will,” Aurora promised. “Tonight, it’s just me here. You can cry or scream or whatever you need and then in the morning you’re going to pull yourself together and we are both going to be there for Anne.”</p><p>“Don’t leave me,” he mumbled.</p><p>“Wouldn’t dream of it, my love.”</p><p>Given the late hour of Anne’s call and the way that Harry had immediately crumbled, Aurora had decided that they would wait until the morning to drive north to Holmes Chapel, a decision that Anne had agreed with. After what seemed like the longest time, Rori finally coaxed Harry to his feet and helped him down the hall and into bed, only letting go of him long enough to strip out of their clothes before she returned to wrapping herself around his broad shoulders. They stayed awake until well after midnight and Aurora ran a soothing hand along Harry’s back as he clung to her. She pushed her own grief to the side, knowing that her husband needed to be able to lean on her without worrying about being a burden. She knew only too well the pain of losing a parent and she wanted nothing more than to shield her husband from that kind of pain, even though she knew that wasn’t possible.</p><p>xXx</p><p>Both Harry and Aurora were exhausted as they got ready to leave the following morning. They packed enough clothes for a week, knowing that they could just do laundry if they ended up staying longer and Harry carried their cases, and the garment bags holding their funeral outfits, downstairs to the car. Aurora followed behind him a few moments later, her hands full with travel mugs of coffee to keep them awake for the three hour drive up to Anne’s house. One stern look was all it took for Harry to give up arguing that he should drive and instead, he handed the keys to his wife and climbed into the passenger seat, gratefully sipping on the coffee she traded him for the keys. Aurora frowned as she watched him settle into his seat, before turning her attention back to pulling out of the garage and merging into the early morning traffic making its way out of the city. He looked terrible, his hair a mess, his eyes glassy and puffy, and his trademark smile was non-existent. She knew she probably didn’t look much better after staying up worrying about him all night and trying not to slip into her own feelings of grief she felt welling inside her. She would have time to grieve later, for now her entire focus was on her husband, as well as Anne and Gemma. Once she knew they were pulling themselves back together and supporting each other, then she would allow herself to cry and mourn Robin. Just as she had for Louis when his mother passed, now she put those around her first, taking on the caregiver role that she so naturally adopted in times like these. Even the mere thought of putting herself first made her feel sick to her stomach.</p><p>The drive was long, and Aurora was thankful when Harry finally fell asleep an hour into the drive as they passed Stokenchurch. She turned down the radio, driving silently for the next hour, following the motorway until she reached Strafford, taking the exit to stop for a coffee break. Harry continued to sleep, clearly exhausted from the lack of sleep the previous night, not even stirring when Aurora returned to the car and started the engine. She merged back onto the M6 and continued north until she finally arrived in Holmes Chapel. She reached out to gently shake Harry’s shoulder as they turned onto Anne’s street. He woke groggily, knuckling his eyes as Rori parked the car behind Gemma’s out the front of house. She laced her fingers through her husbands as they made their way up the path, the front door swinging open as the stepped onto the porch. Gemma didn’t say a word as she pulled her baby brother into a tight hug and then led them both inside to where Anne was sitting in the living room.</p><p>In any crisis, Aurora immediately stepped into a care giver role without really thinking about it and Robin’s death was one of the biggest crises she had ever encountered. For the first two days in Anne’s home, she cooked, cleaned and made sure that everyone always had a fresh cup of tea on hand. Between Anne, Gemma and Harry there was always at least one person in tears, but Anne tried her hardest not to let anyone wallow too much and instead insisted that they share their favourite memories of Robin. They had all sat around in the living room, laughing and sharing stories from years passed and while they were all deeply unhappy, this reminiscing did help lift the mood of the house. Rori spent many hours cuddled up on the sofa with Harry carding her fingers through his hair while he grieved or lying in bed next to each other talking late into the night while sleep alluded them both. Aurora manage to hold herself together and be the rock for everyone else in the house until their third night in Holmes Chapel.</p><p>It was late. Really late. Harry had finally fallen asleep, and with the rest of the house silent, Rori snuck downstairs and slipped out into the back garden. It was a clear spring night, a chill breeze blowing through the yard causing her to draw her cardigan tightly around herself. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly until it turned into a deep sob, the kind that felt like it would break a rib. She gasped for breath as she cried in the darkness, finally allowing herself to miss her father in law. Finally allowing herself to feel the loss without worrying about adding to Harry or Anne or Gemma’s grief. Her cries were loud enough that she didn’t hear the door open behind her, or the footsteps across the patio. She jumped a little when a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. Gemma gripped her tightly as she shook. </p><p>“Was wondering when you were finally going to let it all out,” she whispered as Auroras sobs began to soften. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Rori said, pulling back from Gemma’s hold and wiping at the tears running down her cheeks. “I’m ok. How are you?”</p><p>“Stop,” Gemma replied. “Stop acting like you’re not allowed to miss him too. It’s not a competition. I get that you’re trying to be strong for H and Mum and me, but you’re not helping anyone by holding it all in and then coming out here in the middle of the night to let it all out.”</p><p>“I just,” Aurora muttered, “I just don’t want Harry worrying about me right now. I can hold it together so that he can rely on me while he falls apart.”</p><p>“You know he’d be furious if he found out you were hurting and not letting him in,” Gemma said. “We can all lean on each other. That’s the whole point of the four of us staying here together.”</p><p>Aurora nodded in understanding, not knowing what to say since her sister in law was clearly hell bent on winning this disagreement. “Let’s go inside and make some tea.”</p><p>Both women trudged inside, settling on the kitchen stools as they waited for the kettle to boil. “It just isn’t fair,” Aurora murmured when Gemma handed a mug to her and re-joined her at the counter. “He deserved more time.”</p><p>“Can’t argue with that,” Gemma said. “I don’t even know what to say to Mum. After so many crap guys, she finally found her soulmate just to have him taken away. Makes me so angry.”</p><p>“Makes me angry too,” Aurora agreed. “Feels like we just keep losing parents. First my mum, then Jay, now Robin.”</p><p>“Makes me afraid of who’s next,” Gemma replied, gnawing at her bottom lip. </p><p>“What are you both doing up so late?” Harry mumbled from the doorway, startling both women. “It’s nearly 4am.”</p><p>“Did we wake you?” Rori asked. “Sorry baby.”</p><p>Harry shuffled further into the kitchen, immediately noticing that his wife had been crying as soon as he neared her. He didn’t say anything, instead stepping up to her side and pulling her tightly against his chest. Her arms wrapped around his bare torso, as she buried her face against one of the swallows nestled beneath his collarbones. “Please don’t pull away from me,” he whispered.</p><p>“Didn’t want to burden you,” Rori whispered back in reply.</p><p>Harry loosened the hug, pulling away enough to look her in the eyes. “You’re never a burden to me,” he promised, his voice serious. “We deal with this the same way we do everything, we do it together.”</p><p>Aurora didn’t know what to say so she remained silent and instead buried her face back into his chest and clung tightly to him, as if he would disappear the moment she let go. She never noticed Gemma slipping out of the room, but by the time she pulled herself together enough to lift her head away from Harry, the young couple were alone in the kitchen. Harry silently led her back to their room, pulling the covers over them and hugging her tightly against him, neither able to fall back asleep before the dawn light began peeking through the curtains a few hours later.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Dunkirk Premieres & the summer before tour: July/August 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The song in this chapter is Boys Like You by Anna Clendening</p><p>As always please don't forget to comment and check out tumblr for the instagram posts that accompany this story :) https://abundanceofsoph.tumblr.com/post/631943222474801152/skyfire-3-the-styles-solo-era</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the weeks following Robin’s funeral, both Harry and Aurora tried to find their way back to normal. Aurora spent hours at a time in either of their home studios, writing countless songs in an attempt to process the painful emotions coursing through her or working on a surprise gift that she was painting for Harry. They both called Anne almost every day, just checking in with her to make sure she was looking after herself, often inviting her to come stay with them in the city, although she always refused. Before long, the premiere for Dunkirk was  only a week away and Harry flew to LA and back for the press tour and enjoyed the long days of interviews alongside his cast mates. Aurora remained in London but was eagerly looking forward to walking the red carpet with Harry at the London premiere in a few days’ time, having already organised a gorgeous silver gown with the help of Harry Lambert and it hung, waiting, in her wardrobe for the big day.</p><p>xXx</p><p>The day before the premiere, Rori was buried under the duvet when Harry walked back into their bedroom after his morning run. It was not exactly unusual given that she had never particularly been a morning person, but usually she was scrolling on her phone by this point, trying to muster up the energy to get out of bed and start her day. He decided to leave her be and headed into the ensuite bathroom to shower and change out of his workout clothes. When he returned, she was still curled up in bed and he started to grow concerned. Harry’s brow furrowed as he climbed up the bed and lay back down next to his wife, peeling back the covers to reveal her flushed face. At first, he wasn’t too surprised by her red, sweaty face given the summer heat already building outside and the way she’d wrapped herself up in the duvet like a burrito. His brow furrowed quickly when she groaned, her eyes squeezing tight at the brightness of the room suddenly revealed by the loss of the covers. </p><p>“You alright love?” he asked, his fingers tracing her cheek bones noticing the heat radiating off her. </p><p>“Feel like rubbish,” she mumbled while feebly attempting to pull the covers back over her head. </p><p>“You feeling poorly, my darling?” Harry asked. His voice was low and soothing, full of concern as she slowly nodded her head, a pained groan following the movement. </p><p>“Cold,” she mumbled. “’n my throat hurts.”</p><p>“How about I run you a nice bath and put some fresh sheets on the bed?” Harry offered, “and then I can make you some soup.”</p><p>Aurora nodded her head in agreement, making no move to follow him as he headed back into the ensuite and started filling the tub. Once it was full, he returned to the bed, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her bridal style.</p><p>“Join me?” She asked, her voice a soft mumble as she stripped off the oversized shirt she’d worn to bed.</p><p>“I will in a moment, love,” he replied. “Let me just go change the sheets real quick first.”</p><p>He disappeared for a few minutes and Aurora sank into the tub, resting her aching head back against the edge. Harry returned quickly, slipping into the tub behind her and letting her settle between his legs. She lent heavily against his chest, her head lolling back on his shoulder, her eyes closing as the warm water settled around them both. </p><p>“Better?” he asked, receiving only a content hum in response. </p><p>They stayed in the bath until the water began to turn cold and then Harry bundled his wife up in a large fluffy towel before leading her back to their bed. She burrowed back under the covers, asking Harry to stay with her while she napped. She dozed on and off for a little over an hour before turning over and looking up at Harry where he was sitting back against the headboard, a book in one hand while the other continued running along her shoulders absently.</p><p>“You should call Anne,” she mumbled, startling him. “Should ask her to go with you tomorrow.”</p><p>“What?” Harry asked.</p><p>“It’ll do her good to get out,” Rori explained, her throat still raspy, “and you shouldn’t go on your own.”</p><p>“You might feel better by then,” he argued. “Was looking forward to showing up with my gorgeous wife on my arm.”</p><p>“It’d take a miracle to get me feeling up to a red carpet by tomorrow afternoon, Harry,” Rori replied, with a soft smile. “Was looking forward to it too. Guess you’ll just have to do another movie so I can go to the next premiere.”</p><p>“I’ll see what I can do,” Harry chuckled. “Feeling hungry? I could make you that soup.”</p><p>“A little soup would be nice,” she answered, already burrowing back under the covers as Harry climbed to his feet and headed towards the kitchen.</p><p>xXx</p><p>Anne arrived the following morning and Harry Lambert showed up to the apartment a few hours after her to help Harry get dressed and provide Anne with a few dresses to chose from that he had gathered together last minute after Harry text him the previous afternoon. Anne had been in Mum Mode since arriving hours earlier, ensuring that her daughter in law didn’t lift a single unnecessary finger. She had Rori set up on the large sectional sofa in the living room, a mug of tea in hand and her next dose of Cold and Flu tablets within easy reach for her to take in a few hours’ time. She’d also popped to the nearby Tesco for groceries and set about making a fresh pot of chicken noodle soup, shaking her head in disappointment when Harry admitted to using tinned soup the night before. By the time both mother and son were dressed for the evening, Rori was wrapped up in a nest of blankets in front of the tv. She smiled brightly as Harry pranced into the room, goofing around and acting as if he was walking a catwalk as he twirled in front of his wife, showing off his sleek black suit.</p><p>“If I wasn’t so sick that I felt like my head was going to explode,” Rori said, “I promise I would be ripping that suit off you.”</p><p>Harry let out a loud laugh, throwing his head back. “How about I promise to wear it again when you’re feeling better?” he finally asked, his voice dropping lower which caused Rori’s cheeks to flush more than yesterday fever.</p><p>“Can we please keep the flirting to a minimum until I go home?” Anne joked as she entered the room, breaking the intense eye contact between the young couple.</p><p>“Can’t promise anything mum,” Harry laughed in response. “It’s not my fault that my wife is the most gorgeous woman on the planet.”</p><p>“Harry you can’t honestly make claims like that when your mother is standing right in front of you in a dress like that,” Rori argued. “You look incredible Mumma.”</p><p>“Thank you Darling. Are you feeling any better?”</p><p>“A little,” Rori said. “Now go have fun tonight alright.”</p><p>“You sure you don’t want to call Ella to come stay with you?” Harry asked as he kissed her forehead and prepared to leave.</p><p>“I’ll be fine, H,” Rori replied. “I’ve got the live stream ready to go. Drugs within arms reach and homemade soup on the stove to reheat for dinner. Now stop worrying about me and got strut your stuff.”</p><p>“If you need anything, promise you’ll call,” Harry said, his brow furrowing in concern.</p><p>“I’ll be fine,” Rori repeated with a roll of her eyes. “I’m so proud of you.”</p><p>“Love you,” Harry added, giving his wife one last kiss before leading his mother out the front door.</p><p>After Harry and Anne left, Aurora fell asleep, waking to the sound of the alarm she had set so that she didn’t miss the livestream of the red carpet event in Leicester Square. She smiled softly to herself as she watched Harry’s castmates arrive, having met many of them at a friends and family dinner that had been held a few weeks earlier before the press tour began. Her smile split across her face as the camera swept around to catch Harry climbing out of the car and offering his arm to his mother. Rori felt so proud as she watched the fans scream and cheer excitedly for him. He was stopped part way along the carpet for an interview. He talk a little about the experience of acting for the first time and working with someone as talented as Christopher Nolan.</p><p>“You’re joined by your mother this evening,” the interviewer said. “Where’s your new wife?”</p><p>“Aurora has the flu,” Harry explained, “but she’s watching at home. Hi, love.”</p><p>Once Harry and Anne disappeared into the theatre, Rori switched off the live stream and queued up a rom-com on Netflix, falling asleep again before she reached the midway point of the film. When she woke, the sky was dark outside the large windows, the city lights glinting off the black water of the Thames and Harry was knelt next to the sofa, his hand brushing softly against Rori’s arm.</p><p>“Hey baby,” he whispered. “How about we get you to bed?”</p><p>Aurora nodded and allowed Harry to help her to her feet.</p><p>“’m really proud of you, H,” she mumbled as they crawled into bed a few minutes later.</p><p>“You haven’t even seen the movie yet,” he chuckled softly. “Might change your mind.”</p><p>“Shut up and take the compliment,” she replied. “Proud of you for putting yourself out there and taking a risk.”</p><p>“Thank you, love,” he whispered. “Now get some sleep so you feel better in time for Sunday.”</p><p>xXx</p><p>By the time Sunday morning arrived, Aurora was indeed feeling much better, allowing her to join Harry on the journey across the channel. They left early in the morning as the sun was just beginning to dawn and drove down to Dover before taking the Channel Tunnel across to Calais and then headed along the northern coast of French until they reached Dunkirk midmorning.</p><p>While Harry was busy with interviews and a photoshoot, Aurora wandered along the beach and strolled through the streets of the small village, before meeting back up with her husband to walk the red carpet.</p><p>To say that Aurora was proud would have been an understatement. For as long as she had known Harry, he had been adored by his fans, but this was something new for both of them. For the first time, people who hadn’t previously considered themselves to be fans were suddenly paying attention to Harry and giving him credit for a job well done. No longer was he just a former member of a boy band, but now he was a successful solo artist and a talented actor in a credible film. Aurora was beaming the entire day, over the moon to see the love and support being directed towards the man that she knew deserved all of it and so much more.</p><p>Following the premiere, the entire cast and their partners headed to a local restaurant that had been booked out and enjoyed dinner together. It was a loud and energetic group, taking up every table in the large dining room and Aurora enjoyed listening to Harry and his castmates recount stories from set. Fionn in particular was more than happy to embarrass Harry, much to Rori’s excitement. Once dinner finally came to an end, the couple stayed at a hotel in town for the night before driving back to London the following day and then flying on to New York for the third and final premiere of the film.</p><p>xXx</p><p>Once Dunkirk was released in cinemas, the remaining 6 weeks of summer were busy for both Harry and Aurora with the upcoming tour looming on the horizon and countless projects on the go. Harry was busy filming music videos for the next singles to be released, as well as attending countless meetings for the tour and a BBC special that they would be filming at the end of August. Throughout the chaotic weeks of planning, filming and rehearsing, Aurora made sure to spend time with her loved ones before she hit the road with Harry and wouldn’t be able to see them for months on end.</p><p>One afternoon in mid-August she caught up with Ella’s mum, Bek, for tea and a catch up in the small flat were Ella grew up in south Wimbledon. The following day, Ella herself came over to Aurora’s apartment for lunch.</p><p>“Had afternoon tea with your mum yesterday,” Rori said once they sat down at in the living room with plates of freshly cooked pasta in hand.</p><p>“I swear you see my mum more than I do these days,” Ella laughed.</p><p>“Well it helps that she works from home and I don’t have a real job,” Rori replied. “Makes scheduling all too easy.”</p><p>“You’ve got me there,” Ella said, taking another bite of her pasta.</p><p>“Feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks though,” Rori added. “What’s had your weekends so busy lately?”</p><p>“Well,” Ella replied, nervously looking at her plate. “I started seeing a new guy.”</p><p>“Thought you were going to take some time for yourself after things ended with Natalie,” Rori replied, trying to keep to hint of judgment out of her tone.</p><p>“And I did,” Ella replied defensively. “It’s been 3 months and now I’m seeing someone new.”</p><p>“Well then tell me all about this new boy,” Rori said, biting back a tiny smirk at her best friends’ defensiveness.</p><p>“His name is Tim,” Ella all but sighed.</p><p>“Wasn’t the guy before Natalie, Tim?”</p><p>“No, that was Tom.”</p><p>“This one from tinder too?”</p><p>“Yes,” Ella snarked. “Not everyone can find the love of their life at a red carpet event.”</p><p>“I’m not judging,” Rori defended, her hand up in a sign of peace. “Just getting the lay of the land.”</p><p>“Yeah I know, sorry,” the blonde sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Just sick of mum telling me ‘I told you so’ every time I get my heartbroken.”</p><p>“You’ll find the right one eventually,” Rori promised.</p><p>“I mean trust me,” Ella continued. “I’m going in sceptical because most of them have been liars or just stringing me along, but I like Tim. He makes me feel like it’s worth taking a risk, you know. Mum doesn’t always know best. I mean she thought my dad was the one and look how well that turned out for her.”</p><p>“Well I trust your judgement. Now tell me more about him.”</p><p>“Oh my god, he’s amazing Rors. He’s genuinely tall, dark and handsome. Works out but isn’t a health freak that’s gonna shame me for getting a Big Mac and he has these chocolate brown eyes that I think I could stare at for hours. His mum is from Jamaica and his dads from the Midlands. Grew up in Peckham and he’s working as a physio for a football club.”</p><p>“You got any photos?” Aurora asked, smiling softly at Ella’s excitement.</p><p>“Oh yeah, hang on.”</p><p>“Oh, damn girl he is cute. Kinda reminds me of Stormzy.”</p><p>“I know right? God, I hope this one works out Rors, I really like him.”</p><p>“Remember what I said a few months ago,” Aurora cautioned. “Just ease into it.”</p><p>“I will,” Ella promised. “Gonna go so slow I’ll be crawling.”</p><p>Conversation moved on from there as they discussed the upcoming tour, Ella’s excitement to start teaching in a few weeks’ time, and an art project that Rori was putting the final touches on, before circling back to Ella’s love life and the date she’d just gone on with Tim.</p><p>“Hello earth to Aurora,” Ella said, waving a hand in front of her friends’ vacant stare.</p><p>“Sorry,” Rori replied, snapping back to focus on the blonde. “I’m listening.”</p><p>“No, you’re not,” Ella chuckled. “You’ve got that look on your face.”</p><p>“What look?”</p><p>“The look that says; Ella’s disaster love life has inspired another song.”</p><p>“My face does not say that,” Rori replied indignantly.</p><p>“But I’m not wrong am I.”</p><p>“Maybe,” Rori conceded. “Shut up.”</p><p>“I’m gonna go,” Ella replied.</p><p>“What? No. Stay,” Rori implored.</p><p>“You're useless to me at this point,” Ella said. “It’s fine. Go write. But when the royalty checks start rolling in you can buy me a Gucci purse. I have my eye on a few.” </p><p>“I love you,” Rori told her, the unspoken apology clear in her tone.</p><p>“I know,” Ella laughed as they hugged goodbye and then Ella was out the front door and Aurora headed straight down the hall to her music studio, a melody already filling her head.</p><p>Ella reached the lobby, stepping out of the elevator just as Harry was returning from running in Battersea Park. </p><p>“Where are you off too?” he asked. “I expected you to still be here until dinner.”</p><p>“Rors got inspired so I’m getting out of her hair so she can work,” Ella explained.</p><p>“Oh, you mean you didn’t want to hang out while she stared off into space and completely ignored everything you said?” Harry asked with an amused chuckle. He was very familiar with they way his wife would disappear into her own head when she had an idea for a song churning in her head.</p><p>“Exactly,” Ella smiled. “Good luck.”</p><p>Not wanting to disturb his wife while she worked, Harry tried to stay away from the studio for the majority of the afternoon. He showered and changed out of his workout clothes and then puttered around the kitchen, putting together a vegetarian lasagne for dinner. After cleaning up the kitchen, he finally grew bored enough to go disrupt the impromptu writing session.</p><p>At first, she didn’t notice him, but when he flopped down on the sofa across from the piano, her head snapped up and she smiled brightly.</p><p>“Ella left,” she said.</p><p>“I know,” Harry replied. “Ran into her in the lobby on my way in. Said you got inspired.”</p><p>“I did,” she grinned, clearly excited. “Wanna hear what I’ve got so far?”</p><p>“Always,” Harry replied.</p><p><em>So when you hold my hand, do you wanna hold my heart?<br/>
When you say you want me, is it all of me or just one part?<br/>
So when you hold my hand, do you wanna hold my heart?<br/>
When you say you want me<br/>
<br/>
Mumma said there'd be boys like you tearing my heart in two<br/>
Doing what you do best<br/>
Taking me for a ride, telling me pretty little lies<br/>
But with you, I can't resist<br/>
<br/>
I'm terrified, but I'll never let you know<br/>
Social suicide if I ever let it show<br/>
Everything feels just right<br/>
I fall in place, we fall in line<br/>
I'll never let you go<br/>
<br/>
</em>“Thinking I’ll repeat the bridge and the chorus to finish out and I’m still trying some things out for the opening verse,” she explained once she finished singing.</p><p>“Sounds brilliant,” Harry replied, smiling brightly at her. “How about you take a break and we have some dinner? Made lasagne.”</p><p>“I love your lasagne,” Rori replied, already standing from the piano and heading for the door.</p><p>“Jeez, wait for me will ya?” Harry called out with an amused huff, already moving to follow her down the hall towards the kitchen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Harry at the BBC, Flicker Sessions & the other side of marriage: August/September 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As always please don't forget to comment and check out tumblr for the instagram posts that accompany this story :) https://abundanceofsoph.tumblr.com/post/631943222474801152/skyfire-3-the-styles-solo-era</p><p>Please let me know in the comments what you think of the story so far.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As summer neared its end, Harry and Aurora travelled north to Manchester where they met up with the rest of the band as well as Jeff and Nick Grimshaw. It was hard for both of them to be back in town for the first time since the funeral, and even harder to be staying in Anne’s house which now felt far too empty without Robin’s infectious laugh and booming voice. They had arrive in town two days before the taping and both Aurora and Harry found themselves immensely grateful for the extensive soundchecks and filming obligations that kept them in town most of the time, only returning to the house in the evenings and turning in for bed relatively early to avoid the uncomfortable atmosphere in the home. On the day of the performance, after all Harry and Nicks segments were filmed and the band was ready to go, the doors were opened, and the small crowd was welcomed into the venue and prepared for the procedures of the taping.</p><p>The show was a huge success, with the crowd absolutely loving the entire thing. Aurora found herself unable to hold back her laughter several times while Nick interviewed Harry and she was often grinning as he danced around the stage, revelling in the infectious atmosphere of the crowd. Following the last song, well after the crowd had left and the only ones left inside were the band, Nick Grimshaw and their families, the crew worked on breaking down the set and everyone milled around with drinks in hand. They laughed together, sharing stories and eagerly discussing the upcoming tour. Aurora was tucked up against Harry’s side, his arm thrown comfortably around her shoulders as she lent her head against one of the swallows hidden beneath his shirt. She caught Anne’s eyes across the small group and the two women shared a soft smile as Harry’s booming laughter filled the air. In that moment she felt that despite the pain still felt in Robin’s absence, at the end of the day Anne was going to be ok. Both Harry and Rori had worried about heading off on a world tour and leaving her at home, but now Rori was confident that while her mother-in-law still had plenty of healing to go, she would be just fine while they were away from her. It was with clear consciences that the young couple were able to pack up their car and return to London the following day.</p><p>xXx</p><p>A few days after returning home from Manchester, Aurora took the opportunity to do something she had done quite often back in New York before she and Harry got married and made a permanent home for themselves in London. Life had been so busy since Jays passing the previous year that she hadn’t had a chance to start back up again in London and with the tour only weeks away she knew this was her final spare moment. </p><p>It took the better part of an hour for her to arrive after first taking a bus north to Knightsbridge from which she caught the Piccadilly line over to Russell square. She paused for a moment in the small patch of trees of Queen Square Gardens to collect herself before heading up the front steps and through the entry to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. An administrator was waiting in the lobby for her and after a quick greeting and handshake, Aurora was led upstairs and onto one of the kids' wards. </p><p>No matter how many times she made these visits, the first moment was always confronting. It was always upsetting to see so many tiny kids so sick and the exhausted, shattered expressions on their parents faces. No matter how often she did this there was always the briefest moment when her eyes threatened to tear up and she had to bite the inside of her cheek before plastering a bright smile on her face. </p><p>She spent most of the day there with the kids, admiring their drawings, singing songs for them, and playing with their toys. She spoke with the parents too, trying as best she could to brighten their day even if just a little bit. By the time she left she could feel the tears threatening to fall and instead of subjecting herself to crying on the tube, she ordered an Uber to get her home to where Harry was waiting with open arms and hot cup of tea.</p><p>She fell into those arms the moment she stepped into their living room, her entire body shaking with the great heaving sobs breaking through her chest. He didn’t say anything, knowing exactly how painful these visits were, having made enough of his own over the years. Whenever it had been his turn, his wife had been the safe harbour for him to return home to and now it was just his turn to help her weather the storm. He pulled a blanket over them as they settled into the sofa and he hummed softly, rubbing her back until her breathing finally slowed and she drifted to sleep, laying on his chest.</p><p>xXx</p><p>They hadn’t seen much of the boys since the wedding, so with Niall’s album launch fast approaching, Aurora was immensely excited to join him on stage to perform their duet <em>Seeing Blind</em> at his second stop on his Flicker Sessions tour. Following the first show in Dublin on the Tuesday evening, Niall flew into London early the following morning and Aurora met him at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire to rehearse ahead of the show the following evening. After a full day of rehearsals, Niall joined Aurora on her drive home, hugging Harry tightly as they arrived back at the Battersea Flat.</p><p>“Alright, alright,” Harry chuckled as he finally let go of the Irishman. “Get in here before dinner gets cold.”</p><p>They all sat down around the dining table, digging into the pasta dish Harry had made, catching each other up on the summers between bites.</p><p>“Can’t believe we’re both off on solo tours,” Niall said as Aurora cleared the table. “Seems mental to not all be cramming ourselves into the bus together.”</p><p>“I know,” Harry agreed sadly. “Feels weird to be making all the decisions on my own. Exciting though.”</p><p>“Agreed,” Niall chuckled. “Can’t bloody wait. Last night was absolutely buzzing and tomorrow’s gonna be so bloody great with Rors.”</p><p>“Gonna be so much fun Ni,” Rori echoed. “Been looking forward to this for weeks.”</p><p>“Speaking of,” Harry said. “Gem said she should get back into town about an hour before the doors open so I’ll probably wait for her and we can head over together. That work for you two?”</p><p>“Sounds good mate,” Niall nodded.</p><p>“Works for me baby,” Rori agreed, kissing Harry on the cheek. “I’m planning to arrive a few hours before doors open so I have time to get dressed and get hair and makeup done.”</p><p>xXx</p><p>The following evening Aurora waited backstage as Niall stepped out into the spotlight and began the show with <em>The Tide</em>. The crowd sounded electric and Aurora found herself far more excited than nervous to soon been joining him. The minutes flew by and Niall was quickly welcoming her out into the spotlight to a round of applause. He was smiling brightly as he started playing and sang the opening lines of the song, before Aurora joined him, a matching smile lighting up her own face. As they reached the chorus, Rori found herself dancing across the stage, the hem of her dress flaring out above her knees as she twirled. The song was over far too soon for her liking and she found herself more eager than ever for Harry’s own tour to kick off.</p><p>xXx</p><p>As September began, the stress had been building between the Styles’ for days. With the tour only  weeks away Harry was already overworked and exhausted. He was so full of anxiety, waking in the middle of the night to call Jeff to check on some tiny detail he’d just thought of and it had just kept piling up. Aurora had wanted to help him, wanted to calm him, and tell him that it would be ok, but she was consumed by her own fears. Despite how much she had enjoyed singing with Niall and how well their TV performances had gone over the past few months, she hadn’t lied to Liam all those months ago when she’d shared her fears with him that her disability would make her a liability to the tour. She couldn't use her prosthetic every waking hour of the day; it wasn’t healthy, both on a physical and mental level. Physically the prosthetic was never entirely comfortable, leaving her constantly aware that something foreign was attached to her body and mentally, while the transmitter was a technological marvel, using it for longer than a few hours left her exhausted and if she kept it on too long she was assaulted by the worst migraines imaginable. The fear of being unable to perform, of failing Harry, of not being what he needed was drowning her. She knew he loved her of course, but they had barely been married 5 months and she was terrified of being a burden, or worse still, of disappointing him and hurting his career.  </p><p>All of this was building up between the two of them, the stress feeling like a thick fog filling their flat and weighing down everything in it. A week after Aurora performed with Niall in Shepherds Bush, and two weeks before they were set to fly out to San Francisco, it all came to a head, boiling over in a fit of anger and frustration; both of them saying things they didn’t mean just to win a point against the other. She wasn’t even sure what had ignited the flame but as soon as it sparked, neither could hold back until Rori knew she needed to leave before either of them said something they couldn’t recover from. Somehow, she managed to hold back the tears until the door closed behind her and she crossed the hall to the elevator, leaving her husband in their apartment, angry and alone. She let the tears fall as she rode the lift down the underground garage, thankful that it didn’t stop to pick up anyone else along the way. She was gasping for breath, sobbing hideously by the time she climbed into her car and started the engine. She wasn’t even sure where to go but she knew that she needed to go somewhere. </p><p>She was furious and she was hurt. They'd bickered over the years, they wouldn’t be human if they hadn’t, but he’d never raised his voice at her the way he did tonight and she’d crossed the line too, said things she didn’t mean and things he didn’t deserve. She wasn’t paying attention to where she was going but didn’t find herself all that surprised when she pulled up out the front of the Golden Stag. She parked the car in the side alley to avoid getting a ticket the following morning and made her way inside, attempting to wipe her tear stained cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater with her right hand, her prosthetic long forgotten back at the apartment. </p><p>It was nearing midnight and the place was mostly empty, only a few stragglers left in a booth by the fireplace. Helen was behind the bar, not looking up as she heard the door open. “We’re closing up,” she called out. </p><p>“Sorry,” Rori mumbled, causing Helen’s head to snap up, her face pinching in worry as she took in the young woman’s expression. She rushed out from behind the bar, pulling Rori against her chest and tucking her under her chin. </p><p>“What happened sweetheart?”</p><p>“Harry and I had a fight and I just had to get out of the house,” Rori admitted. “Didn’t know where else to go.”</p><p>“Of course baby,” Helen soothed. “How about we get you settled in your old room upstairs?”</p><p>Aurora nodded and allowed herself to be led towards the staircase and up to the small apartment where she’d grown up. She toed off her shoes and climbed under the duvet, while Helen sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hand over Rori’s hair. </p><p>“Do I need to go knock some sense into that boy of yours?” she asked.</p><p>Aurora shook her head. “He didn’t say anything worse than what I said to him.”</p><p>“Do you want to talk to me about it?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Ok sweetheart. Try to get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.” Helen stood up and headed for the door. Just as she was about to step through, Aurora's voice gave her pause. </p><p>“Thank you, Gran,” she mumbled. </p><p>“Get some sleep baby,” she repeated, closing the door softly behind her. </p><p> </p><p>When she woke the next morning, she crept downstairs, noting the missed calls from Harry when she checked her phone. The pub wasn’t open yet, so it was deserted but for Helen and Greg cleaning up and preparing for the day ahead. </p><p>“Good morning sweetheart,” Helen greeted as Aurora perched herself on one of the many bar stools. “You hungry?” Aurora shook her head. “How about a coffee?” </p><p>“Yes please,” she mumbled, smiling softly. </p><p>“Helen said you didn’t want us giving Harry a piece of our minds,” Greg added while his wife turned to the coffee machine, “but if you change your mind you just let me know. If he hurt you...”</p><p>“He didn’t,” Aurora cut him off. “At least not how you mean.”</p><p>She was interrupted from explaining further as her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket, glad that it wasn’t Harry’s face on her screen. She answered the call with a soft “Hello?”</p><p>“Rori, where are you? Are you safe?” Louis asked, worry clear in his voice.</p><p>“I’m fine Lou,” Rori promised. “I’m at the pub.”</p><p>“Thank god,” she heard him sigh. “H called this morning to see if you crashed at mine, said he’d already checked with El. He’s worried about you.”</p><p>“Well he can worry a bit longer, I’m not ready to talk to him.”</p><p>“He feels terrible for what he said,” Louis said. </p><p>“Don’t,” Rori sighed. “Please don’t get in the middle of this.”</p><p>“I won’t, sorry,” Louis replied. “Just promise you’ll text him and let him know you’re safe and that you’re not ready to talk. You and I both know he’ll spiral if he doesn’t hear from you soon.”</p><p>“I will,” she promised. “I gotta go.”</p><p>“Ok, love you.”</p><p>“Love you too Lou.”</p><p>Once she hung up, she did as she’d promised and texted Harry to let him know where she was and that she needed some time alone before she was ready to see him. </p><p> </p><p>After finishing her coffee, Aurora left the pub and drove back home to Battersea after promising to call Helen later to let her know that everything was ok. She parked the car in its usual spot but instead of heading to the elevator and up to where she knew her husband would be waiting for her, she instead headed out to the street level and wandered along the banks of the Thames until she reached the Peace Pagoda. The sun was shining but there was a chill breeze blowing in off the water, not uncommon for autumn in London and Aurora pulled her thin cardigan tighter around her, lamenting not having a jacket while she walked. After staring at the familiar pagoda for a while, she turned left and headed into the park, passing the bandstand until she reached her favourite section of the park, the subtropical garden. She found a seat on a nearly dry bench and sat, watching people as they roamed between flower beds and posed for photos. The previous night’s argument played through her head. It was far from the first argument she and Harry had ever had. They’d been together for almost 4 years and it was only natural to bicker and disagree, but they’d never really had a smack down, drag out fight like this one before. He’d never yelled at her the way he had, standing across from each other in the kitchen, and she’d never stormed out the way she had. This was uncharted territory for them both and while she regretted what she’d said, she worried that Harry would not be so quick to forgive. He wore his heart on his sleeve and she had witnessed over the years how unwilling he could be to forgive when he felt that he had been betrayed. For much of the year, Louis had been trying to convince him to mend things with Zayn and while Harry was happy that the two men were reconnecting, he had no intention of forgiving his ex-bandmate after all these years. </p><p>It was all of this that was running through Auroras head as she sat in the park, trying to figure out how to apologize for the terrible things she had yelled. She already forgave Harry for his own hurtful barbs, but she was feeling so unprepared and out of her depth when it came to repairing the damage rendered to her marriage. Not only did the thought of Harry hating her or resenting her cut at her like a knife, but the start of tour was only 2 weeks away and she knew that they needed to address what had happened and try to fix it, or the tour would be doomed before it even began. </p><p>Eventually Aurora accepted that she had stalled long enough and headed for home, finding the apartment worryingly silent when she finally stepped inside. She padded along the hall, peering into each room as she passed, eventually finding Harry at the piano in their studio, his shoulders slumped and his hunched back to the door. She leaned against the doorframe as she watched him run his hands along the keys, only moving forward when she noticed the way his shoulders shook with every shaky breath. He stirred when he heard her footsteps, immediately lurching to his feet and she felt her heart break a lit bit more at the look on his face. The moment he turned to face her it was clear that he had barely slept since she left the night before. His eyes were red and puffy and filled with so much sadness that Aurora felt her own eyes grow warm with tears seeing the man she loved more than anything in so much pain.</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” she gasped, quickly closing the distance between them, and throwing her arms around him.</p><p>Harry held onto her just as tightly, whispering his own apologies in her ear as they both cried. They simply held each other for long minutes before finally pulling apart and looking into each other’s eyes.</p><p>“I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” Harry said. “God I’m so sorry I love. I never meant to say any of that.”</p><p>“I know H,” Rori replied softly. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have said any of what I did either. We were both stressed, and I know it doesn’t excuse what we did but I know that you didn’t intend to hurt me, and I hope you know I’d never want to hurt you either.”</p><p>“Of course, I know that,” Harry gasped. “Never doubted it for a second.”</p><p>“So, what do we do now?” she asked. “How do we fix this?”</p><p>“We can’t pretend it didn’t happen,” Harry admitted. “Think we need to sit down and talk about what we said. Figure out why, so we never get there again.”</p><p>“Ok,” Rori agreed. “Think maybe we could just snuggle up on the sofa for a bit first?”</p><p>“God yes,” Harry sighed. “Maybe a little nap too. Couldn’t sleep at all without you and I’m bloody exhausted.”</p><p>“A nap sounds pretty great,” she agreed with a small smile, intertwining their fingers as they headed down the hall together. They both knew the conversation awaiting them wouldn’t be easy, but they both knew that they belonged together and they would get through this speedbump just as they had overcome ever other obstacle that had faced together over the years.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Live on Tour in North America: Sept/Oct 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's the February update, I really hope you enjoy. I have soooo much planned for the 2018 chapters and I'm so excited to be inching closer to that part of the story. </p><p>If you missed it, I've decided to only update once a month as life is very much getting in the way but I'm trying to keep going because I have a lot of future chapters half started and I want to get there even if I'm struggling to make time for writing. </p><p>As always please don't forget to comment and check out tumblr for the instagram posts that accompany this story :) https://abundanceofsoph.tumblr.com/post/631943222474801152/skyfire-3-the-styles-solo-era</p><p>Please let me know in the comments what you think of the story so far.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the weeks since their fight, Aurora and Harry had spent countless nights staying up late, lying in bed and talking. They knew that any tension between them would be unavoidable on tour and neither of them wanted to put the rest of the band or crew in the unenviable position of dealing with the couples’ issues. They talked about all their fears for themselves and for each other and discussed how they would make time for each other amongst the shows. Aurora made it clear to Harry that while she would always play a supportive role in his career, she didn’t want to be treated as member of the band or crew while on the road. At the end of the day she was his partner and she needed to feel that, despite whatever pressure or stress he was feeling. She didn’t believe that it was a selfish request since any other wife would be well within their right to ask for one on one time when their spouse wasn’t at work and the fact that they worked together shouldn’t change that dynamic. Harry had of course agreed that on days off between shows they would make time to spend as a couple and would try to get out and see some of the cities they were playing. A few days before they left London, Aurora had given Harry the gift that she had been working on for most of the summer, a hand painted acoustic guitar with a  star filled night sky and fox character. Harry loved the guitar and promised to use it every show of the tour.</p><p>From the moment they arrived in San Francisco for the first show of the tour, they barely had the time to take a breath. They were kept busy finalising every little aspect of the show and spent many hours rehearsing to ensure that everything would be perfect, and they couldn’t have been happier. They, along with the rest of the band, were nervous but also overwhelmingly excited for the adventure ahead of them and couldn’t wait for the fans to enjoy the show they had slaved away preparing and practicing for months.</p><p>All their nerves collectively evaporated the second the opening chords of <em>Ever Since New York</em> filled the Masonic Auditorium. The screams of the crowd mixed with Harry’s voice had a grin splitting across Aurora’s face as she played. They made it through the song and immediately jumped into <em>Two Ghosts</em>, before Harry finally spoke to the audience, welcoming them all and thanking them for being there. He promised to give them an amazing night before the band launched into <em>Carolina</em> and then a cover of <em>Stockholm Syndrome</em> before taking a small break for Harry to talk with the screaming crowd once again.</p><p>“Given that tonight’s the first night of the tour, I wanted to do something special for you all,” Harry told the San Francisco crowd, causing them to scream even louder in excitement. “This next song isn’t going to be part of the set list for the rest of the tour,” he continued. Aurora grinned wide, watching with pride at how much fun Harry was having being on stage again after so much time away. Being able to join him as part of his band brought her so much joy, although she found herself a little nervous for what was about to happen. “I’m gonna need someone else to come down here and give me a hand for it though,” Harry explained, sneaking a cheeky look over his shoulder as the crowd got impossibly louder. “Now I’m sure you already know this, but I got married 5 months ago,” Harry said, smiling brightly at the frenzied crowd. “So, it feels only fitting to have my wife join me down at the front of the stage. Please put your hands together for my wonderful, beautiful, incredible wife, Mrs Aurora Styles everybody!”</p><p>Rori’s grin grew as she stood, stepping out from behind her keyboards and picking up the skirt of her long rainbow dress to avoid tripping as she made her way down the few steps to where Harry was waiting for her. He kissed her on the cheek once she reached him before she stepped up to the microphone facing him.</p><p>“We’re going to sing one of my personal favourites,” Harry told the crowd, adjusting the strap of his guitar on his shoulder before the band struck up the opening chords of <em>Still the One</em>. With her in-ears, the roar of the crowd became background noise and Aurora found herself staring into Harry’s eyes as the sound of the instrumental track filled her ears. She smirked a little at the concentrated look on Harry’s face as he played the guitar she had painted for him, his lips pinched tightly, before finally relaxing into a soft smile as she began to sing. They stared at each other as Aurora made it through the first verse and Harry joined her for the chorus and by the end of the song, they were both fighting back grins. This was the kind of song they often sang together in the kitchen while doing the dishes or in the car on the drive up to Manchester, so to be sharing it with Harry’s fans was a beautiful moment for them both.</p><p>xXx</p><p>With each passing show, the band grew more and more comfortable on stage and by the time they reached New York a little over a week in, they were all having the time of their lives, although they were immensely grateful for the homecooked meal Steve provided when they arrived at the tower after flying in from Chicago the day before the show at Radio City Music Hall. Dinner with the Avengers was always a loud and boisterous affair and Aurora couldn’t keep the grin off her face throughout the entire night. It had been almost 2 years since the band had all met when Harry began working on the album in the early days of the One Direction hiatus and months since they had all stayed in the tower together for their appearance on SNL. Having spent so much time in the tower over the years, Jeff, Adam, Mitch, and Sarah were very comfortable around Rori’s parents and the rest of the team and they fit in with the crazy atmosphere so seamlessly. Long after dinner had ended,  they were all still gathered around the table, sipping on drinks, and sharing stories. Aurora was sitting closely beside Steve, her head resting on his shoulder while his arm was draped around her, both happy to be back in each other’s comforting presence. Eventually it was Jeff who broke apart the gathering, reminding Harry of the interviews he had scheduled the following morning before they were all required at the venue.</p><p>xXx</p><p>While Harry and Jeff hopped from one radio studio to the next the following day, Rori remained at the tower to spend some time with her family before they all moved on to the next stop of the tour. She was in the workshop with Tony, chatting and catching up while he worked on a schematic for an upgrade to Peter’s Spidersuit.</p><p>“How’s the baby planning going?” Rori asked as she sat on the edge of Tony’s workspace, her legs kicking back and forth below the desk.</p><p>“Slowly,” Tony muttered. “We kept hitting dead ends with adoption. Apparently two superheroes aren’t anyone’s first choice to place in charge of an infant. We’re looking into surrogacy now but it’s a whole thing. You have to find an egg donor and then a surrogate to carry the child and then once those are picked, they both have to go through months of doctors’ appointments and scans and tests and procedures.”</p><p>“Sounds awful,” Rori replied. “Sorry it’s so complicated. Doesn’t seem fair when you guys want a baby so badly and you be such great parents.”</p><p>“Thanks kiddo,” Tony said. “It’ll happen when it’s meant to. Steve is convinced that we should try to find an egg donor that shares physical features with one of us and then the other can be the sperm donor and we’ll get a baby that’s maybe a mix of the two of us.”</p><p>Aurora smiled softly at the idea of a little baby that was the perfect combination of the pair.</p><p>“I’ll have my fingers crossed for you,” she promised, kissing his cheek before he turned back to his work.</p><p>Later in the day, after having lunch with both Steve and Tony, Aurora made the 15 minute walk from the tower to Radio City to prepare for the show. She joined Harry in his dressing room, showering and styling her hair before getting into her outfit and finishing off her makeup. Harry was also putting the finishing touches on his own look as they heard the support act, Muna, reach the second half of their set.</p><p>“Ready for your hometown crowd, love?” Harry asked as he held out his hand for hers.</p><p>“Absolutely,” she replied with a grin, taking his offered hand, and letting him lead her from the dressing room.</p><p>After collecting the rest of the band along the way, they waited together backstage as Muna finished their final song and the crew quickly switched out the set up for them. They listened as the crowd began to hype themselves up and Aurora took a quick peak out to spot both of her parents, along with Peter, Bucky, Sam and Clint in the VIP section roped off near the front of the stage, over to the side closest to where Aurora’s keyboards were set up and Mitch usually stood.</p><p>Having family in the crowd made the show so much more incredible for Aurora and by the time she played the final notes of <em>Sign of the Times</em>, she was flying high with adrenaline coursing through her body. Following the show, after the crowd vacated the venue, the crew immediately set about packing down the staging in order to transport it over night to Boston for the next show. While the crew scurried around them, Harry and Aurora, along with the rest of the band and Rori’s family, sat around backstage drinking and just hanging out. As midnight neared, Sarah, Mitch, and Adam headed outside to the tour bus as they had after every show so far, however this time Harry and Aurora remained behind while the rest of the band travelled on to Boston with the crew. The change to the routine was due to the fact that the following day marked the two year anniversary of the Columbia shooting and while Rori couldn’t stomach attending the official memorial ceremony being held on campus, she did want to be in the city. Harry was of course completely understanding and had made arrangements for the two of them to travel down to Boston the next night and meet back up with everyone else ahead of the show the following evening.</p><p>xXx</p><p>Aurora awoke with a start early on the morning of the anniversary, sweating and panicked. Harry was wrapped around her and pressed his face further into her neck as she shook in his arms. She was curled up on her side and Harry squeezed his arms tighter around her, pressing soft kisses to her shoulder as her breathing slowly levelled back out and her pulse started to drop back to a normal rate. She rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face into the pillow beneath her and pulling Harry with her until he was lying on top of her, his weight pressing her into the mattress and grounding her in reality.</p><p>“What do you need from me?” Harry murmured.</p><p>“Just keep holding me,” Rori replied, the wetness in her voice betraying the tears she was trying to hide.</p><p>Harry rolled them back over until she was cuddled into his side with her face pressed into his chest. “I love you,” he whispered. “Whatever you need from me today, you just got to ask.”</p><p>“Just don’t want to be left alone,” she replied quietly.</p><p>“You got it,” Harry promised. “Gonna be so sick of me by the end of the day.”</p><p>“I keep seeing it Harry,” she admitted. “Every time I close my eyes, I see the library.”</p><p>“You want to be distracted or do you wanna talk about it?” he asked.</p><p>“Distracted. Definitely distracted.”</p><p>“I can do that,” he said, pressing kisses to her forehead. “Do you want sexy distractions, movie distractions, workout distractions or food distractions?”</p><p>Aurora stayed silent for a moment, thinking over the options Harry provided before finally replying. “Can I get a sexy distraction followed by food distraction?”</p><p>“Absolutely my love,” Harry answered with a cheeky grin. “How about we jump in the shower and you let me love on you for a bit and then we can go bake some brownies or those apricot flapjacks you love.”</p><p>Rori smiled softly, allowing her husband to lead her towards the bathroom and slowly stripping them both of their pajamas before stepping under the showerhead. By the time they were dried and dressed, Rori felt like jello and they returned to bed to snuggle for a while before heading for the kitchen.</p><p>Steve and Tony appeared a few hours later once the brownies were cooling on the kitchen bench next to a batch of flapjacks and Aurora was whipping up a marshmallow filling to make brownie sandwiches.</p><p>“Mmmm, smells fantastic in here,” Tony said. “What have you kids been up to?”</p><p>“We’re distract-a-baking,” Aurora announced, smearing the marshmallow over the first brownie before adding the second and holding it out to her dad. “Wanna try?” Tony gladly accepted, taking a large bite before offering the rest to Steve. They both hummed happily as they chewed. “It’s good, innit?” Rori asked with a chuckle.</p><p>“Fantastic,” Steve agreed. He was quietly relieved to see a smile on her face, having expected her to be in a far worse emotional state. He still remembered the way he had held her while she screamed the previous year when a particularly bad panic attack had hit her. Steve himself had woken in a cold sweat the previous night with his head full of the memory of carrying his blood-drenched, unconscious daughter out of the campus library.</p><p>“What do you say we plate these up and curl up for a lazy day in front of the tv?” Tony asked. Everyone agreed and they quickly settled on <em>Finding Nemo</em> when Steve mentioned that he hadn’t seen it, to which both Tony and Rori has gasped in horror. Rori curled up against Harry and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against his chest as the movie played.</p><p>After the movie finished, Steve made his way into kitchen to throw together dinner and Rori decided just to put the Office on in the background while they ate. After dinner, Harry packed up their overnight bags, leaving Rori a moment to say goodbye to her fathers before Happy drove them to the airport.</p><p>“Love you kiddo,” Tony whispered in her ear as he hugged her close. “Have a safe flight and we’ll see you for Christmas.”</p><p>“Love you too Dad,” Aurora replied softly. “Also, I’m taking the flapjacks for plane snacks, but I’ll leave you a few.”</p><p>The moment the young couple left the penthouse, Steve burst into tears, allowing Tony to pull him onto the sofa and into his arms.</p><p>“I know,” Tony soothed. “It’s ok. She’s ok and everything is fine sweetheart.”</p><p>“I just keep seeing her covered in blood,” Steve gasped. “I’ll never get that image out of my head. I just want to keep her close. Keep her safe.”</p><p>“I know Steve,” Tony replied, “and she is safe. Harry wouldn’t let anyone, or anything hurt her.” Steve nodded against his husband’s chest, falling silent as they two clung to each other, both just allowing themselves to sit in the feelings that had been building all day.</p><p>xXx</p><p>After a fast paced month, and 12 shows, the band reached Arizona for the final show of the North American leg of the tour. So far, every show had been incredible with Aurora loving every minute of the experience. She had settled into the set list and was able to really enjoy the shows and take in more the of the crowds and the often incredibly amusing signs many fans brought along, reminding her of the One Direction concerts of years past. It was towards the end of the Phoenix show, a few songs before the encore, that Harry said something to the crowd that broke from the routine of the previous shows.</p><p>“Now this next song is a very special cover, Phoenix,” Harry told the crowd, which caused Aurora to frown and look around to see if anyone else on the stage was confused. As far as she knew the next song in the set list was supposed to be <em>Meet Me in the Hallway </em>as it had been every night of the tour so far. Unfortunately, it seemed that Adam, Mitch, and Sarah seemed to know exactly what was going on and Rori felt herself panic slightly, mentally running through the songs they’d already played, trying to work out what they were about to perform. There were a couple of covers they had rehearsed recently for upcoming radio show appearances and she tried to recall if Harry had mentioned wanting to perform any of them. She was pulled out of her moment of internal panic as Harry continued to address the crowd, and she hoped he would say something to help her solve the mystery. “Today’s quite a special day in the Styles household,” he explained. “It would have been my Mother-in-law’s 41<sup>st</sup> birthday if she was still here with us.” Aurora felt her eyes grow warm with the threat of tears and she swallowed against the lump forming at the back of her throat. “I was never lucky enough to meet Louise, but by all accounts, she was my biggest fan.” Harry turned to look over his shoulder at Aurora, winking to acknowledge their long standing inside joke. “So tonight, I’d like to sing her favourite song. If you know the lyrics, please do join in.”</p><p>Mitch and Adam started off the song, both sporting acoustic guitars and then Harry began singing. </p><p>
  <em>They paved paradise</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And put up a parking lot</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With a pink hotel, a boutique</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And a swinging hot spot</em>
</p><p>Aurora watched Sarah, her drumsticks resting at her side as she sang the backing vocals through the chorus and Rori followed her lead, slipping seamlessly into the arrangement. As Harry continued to sing, Rori thought of her mum playing Joni Mitchell on the old record player in their living room, or requesting Aurora play this exact song on her piano in the pub while she bussed tables and danced around with an infectious smile on her face. She remembered birthdays spent eating cake for breakfast and all the incredible times her mum and she had spent together. By the time Harry sang the last refrain; <em>“Pave paradise, put up a parking lot”, </em>she was desperately trying not to cry, touched beyond words that her husband would do this for her, and her mother, who he’d never had the chance to meet. He stepped away from the microphone and as the crowd cheered, he ran over to where she was sitting behind her keyboard, planting a kiss on her lips, and hugging her tightly. </p><p>“Surprised?” he asked over the cheering, a wide grin lighting up his face.</p><p>“Thank you,” Aurora replied. Harry used the pad of his thumb to wipe a few stray tears, blocking her from the audience's view for a few seconds so she could regain her composure. “I love you.”</p><p>“Love you too,” he grinned, kissing her one more time before returning to the microphone. “Ok this next one is <em>Meet Me in the Hallway</em>!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw: Oct 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here’s your March update! Hope you enjoy it and please, please, please if you like this story a simple comment makes a world of difference. </p>
<p>As always please don't forget to comment and check out tumblr for the instagram posts that accompany this story :) https://abundanceofsoph.tumblr.com/post/631943222474801152/skyfire-3-the-styles-solo-era</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the Phoenix show, the band took a weeklong break before meeting back up in Paris to kick off the European leg of the tour. During their break, Adam returned home to his young family and Sarah and Mitch took a short vacation together, while Aurora and Harry joined Niall in celebrating the release of his debut album, <em>Flicker</em>. They, along with Liam, Louis and some of Niall’s friends and family all arrived at his London house for dinner and drinks to celebrate the launch after Niall had spent the day doing press. It was a really casual evening, with everyone scattered throughout the living room, kitchen, and heated patio. Later in the evening Aurora found herself sandwiched on the sofa between Liam and Louis while Harry was off being the social butterfly he was, flitting from one conversation to the next. Rori loved that about the two of them, as much as they loved each other they never felt the need to be glued to each other’s sides when out with friends. She had just finished filling the boys in on the excitement of the first leg of the tour when Liam posed a question.</p>
<p>“I noticed you guys have a 2 week break between Milan and Singapore,” he said. “Got anything planned?”</p>
<p>“We’re planning to be home for 8 or 9 days and then fly to Singapore a few days early to hopefully explore a little,” Rori explained. “Why?”</p>
<p>“Well I was wondering if you wanted to get in the studio with me,” Liam replied. “Lou and I wrote a song a few months back and the demo I put together got selected for the next Fifty Shades soundtrack, but they want it to be a duet. We thought you’d be the perfect fit.”</p>
<p>“Oooh, that sounds like fun,” Rori smiled. “Do you have the demo on your phone?” Liam nodded and Rori fished her AirPods out of her purse and quickly linked them with Liam’s phone to listen through the track. “I love it!” she declared once it reached the end. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun.”</p>
<p>They were interrupted from continuing by a slightly tipsy Niall calling everyone’s attention to where he was standing on the coffee table.</p>
<p>“EVERYONE!” Niall yelled. “I just wanna thank ya all for being here to celebrate all of this. It’s mental that after so many months my baby is finally out in the world and every single one of you played a part in helping make this happen.”</p>
<p>“TO NIALL!” Rori yelled, raising her glass in the air. Everyone echoed her words, cheersing the jolly Irishman.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>A week and a half after Niall’s album launch, after shows in both Paris and Cologne, the Styles’ were back in London for two back to back shows in Hammersmith. The day after the shows, before they headed up to Manchester Harry was due to appear on Nick Grimshaw’s breakfast show on BBC Radio One as Kiwi was releasing as a single that day. Unfortunately, when Harry came of the stage after the second show his voice was in shambles. The tour doctor headed straight for Harry’s dressing room and after a quick consult he was placed on vocal rest for the next 36 hours in preparation for the next show. Aurora immediately called Grimmy to explain the situation while Jeff attempted not to panic before joining her on the call. After much discussion between the 3 of them and many eye rolls from Harry, it was decided that Aurora would attend the interview the following morning so that Nick wasn’t left hanging without a guest and Harry would stay home to rest before travelling up to Manchester in the afternoon.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>“Good morning you’re listening to BBC Radio One, I’m Nick Grimshaw and this morning I was supposed to be joined by Mr Harry Styles but unfortunately Hazza’s come down with a bit of a cold so he’s sent along his wonderful wife to fill in for him. Aurora thank you for joining me.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for having me Grimmy,” Rori replied. “Wish it was a bit later in the day, but you did buy me a coffee so I’ll let you off without too many complaints.”</p>
<p>“How generous of you love,” Nick smirked.</p>
<p>“Only for you,” she giggled, throwing a wink across the table towards her friend.</p>
<p>“So, I had all these fantastic, insightful question for Harry about the album and the tour and the release of Kiwi as a single today, but alas I’ve had to throw all that out the window. Figured since I’m bluffing the questions, we might have a bit of fun today and given that it’s Hazzas fault you’re up this early, what do you say we have that fun at his expense?”</p>
<p>“Are you gonna get me in trouble when I get home Nick?”</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t dream of it love. Besides we both know he’d never get mad at you, that boy is smitten with you.”</p>
<p>“We’ll see about that. What sort of fun did you have in mind?”</p>
<p>“How about we throw to a song and when we come back, I’ll start with a few softball questions.”</p>
<p>“You’re going to play nicely, aren’t you?” Rori asked as the mics were muted and a song started playing for the listeners.</p>
<p>“Of course,” Nick smiled. “I know where your boundaries are, and I text Harry last night to see what he was comfortable with us discussing in regards to song meanings and he gave us the all clear.”</p>
<p>“Alright then,” Rori sighed. “I guess it’s too late now to back out.”</p>
<p>“Oh, don’t be like that,” Nick laughed. “We’re gonna have a fun morning. You ready? Song’s almost done.”</p>
<p>Aurora nodded and readjusted her headphones.</p>
<p>“Welcome back, if you’re just tuning in, I’m joined this morning by the one and only Aurora Styles. Now Rori, your husband Harry, he’s a good mate of mine and the fans listening at home will be very aware that our boy H doesn’t like to talk about his private life much but between us gals I’ve got a few questions.”</p>
<p>“Oh god.”</p>
<p>“Now, now. We’ll have none of that. I’m wondering what married life is like?”</p>
<p>“It’s wonderful,” Rori answered. “We’ve been married for a little over 7 months now and it couldn’t be better.”</p>
<p>“And you’ve been together for what, 4 years now?”</p>
<p>“Something like that,” Rori agreed.</p>
<p>“What was it that first made you fall for him?”</p>
<p>“Oh um... I’m not sure what the first thing was, it just kind of happened. The dimples certainly didn’t hurt,” she joked. “But in all seriousness, I think it was just how genuine he was.”</p>
<p>“Boring,” Nick replied, rolling his eyes dramatically.</p>
<p>“No, I’m serious,” Rori laughed. “We met at the AMAs right before my first ever solo performance and I was in the middle of a panic attack and he just sat down next to me in the hallway and talked to me until I calmed down. We’d never met before and he just saw me freaking out and thought ‘I’m gonna help her’. You don’t find a lot of genuinely kind people in this industry and he’s always astounded me with how selfless he is.”</p>
<p>“That’s too cute. It’s disgusting. How do you manage being in a relationship with someone who is idolized by such an intensely loyal fan base?”</p>
<p>“Honestly, I love Harry’s fans. How could I not? They love the same things in him that I do. They recognize his talent and his kindness and they’re so supportive of everything he does. I’m honestly just so proud of him so of course I love his fans because he deserves to be adored.” </p>
<p>“You’re very sappy this morning sweetheart,” Nick replied. “Don’t get me wrong I’m loving it, you’re normally much sassier with me when you’re more awake. So how has it been being on tour with Harry and being a part of the band?”</p>
<p>“Oh my god, it’s so much fun. We have the best time when we’re all playing together, and we all get along so easily that it never feels like work. The tour has been incredible so far, getting to play this fantastic album to so many fans. I’m very lucky. There aren’t a lot of careers where you get to spend every day with your husband doing what you both love.”</p>
<p>“Speaking of the incredible album let’s play the new single Kiwi and when we come back, we might have a bit of a chat about the other tracks.”</p>
<p>After Kiwi finished, Nick grinned cheekily across the desk at Aurora as he welcomed the listeners back. “And we are back everyone, now before the song break, we were discussing Harry Styles, the self-titled debut of Harry Styles and Aurora I’d love to pick your brain about it since you were involved in the entire creation process, weren’t you?”</p>
<p>“From writing to recording,” Rori agreed.</p>
<p>“So which track is your favourite?”</p>
<p>“That’s tough. There are a lot of very personal songs on the album and in one way or another they’re all my favourites for very narcissistic reasons, but I think if I had to pick one, I think I have to pick Sweet Creature. It’s just a beautiful song.”</p>
<p>“You would pick a song written for you as your favourite.”</p>
<p>“I mean in my defence every song on the album is either about me or I wrote it so there was no humble way to answer that question, and also Nick,” she paused, smirking in anticipation for the rest of her sentence, “who said it’s about me?”</p>
<p>“Wait. Are you saying you’re not Harry’s Sweet Creature? Well who is it about? Did he step out on you?” Nick joked.</p>
<p>Aurora chuckled. “No, he didn’t step out on me, and I’m not telling you. She knows who she is and all I’ll say is that not all love is romantic love. Besides everyone who assumed it was about me didn’t even really listen to the song. I mean how could we have started out as ‘two hearts in one home’?”</p>
<p>“Well I’m sure all the fans listening are having a bit of a breakdown right now over that,” Nick laughed. “I want to come back to talking about the album later, but since you’ve never been shy about addressing fan theories, I thought it might be a bit of fun to look at what fans are talking about online. I’ve taken to Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr overnight to find out what's on their minds, what do you say Rori?”</p>
<p>“Let’s do it,” Rori replied.</p>
<p>“Excellent. Let’s play a song first and when we come back, we’ll be addressing fan questions, and speculations. This is Taylor Swift with <em>Look What You Made Me Do</em>.”</p>
<p>While the song played Rori and Nick talked and joked around about what he had found online and he promised, once again, that he wouldn’t put her in any uncomfortable situations.</p>
<p>“Welcome back,” Nick said. “This morning we’re answering the internets burning questions with Aurora Styles. First ones gonna be a soft ball Rors. It’s from twitter user <strong>@IwouldSellMyLeftKidneyForAuroraStark</strong>, who tweeted: <strong>My life is in desperate need for an Aurora Styles solo album/tour. Who do I have to kill to make this happen?</strong> So, when are we getting your solo work, love?”</p>
<p>“Oh wow, that’s very sweet,” Aurora replied with a blush, “But please don’t sell your kidney for me, you’re gonna need that. As for the solo work, while I appreciate the support, I don’t think I will ever go solo. I enjoy the collaborative process too much and a solo tour just wouldn’t be as much fun as touring with Harry. I will continue posting covers and demos to my YouTube channel and we have been tossing around the idea of a demo tape album so maybe you will get an album from me at some point.”</p>
<p>“Well I for one would be first in line for a vinyl of your Demo Tapes series,” Nick replied. “I found a tweet with a theory about some of your songs from twitter user <strong>@HarrysSuits</strong>. <strong>How cute is it that Aurora Styles has like 5 Songs that she’s written either about or with Harry that have the same or very similar titles to 1D songs? I mean there’s <em>The Little Things, Just You and I, Still I Fly, Where I Belong</em>, and <em>All Night</em></strong>.”</p>
<p>“I mean when you lay it out like that there’s definitely a trend,” Rori admitted with a chuckle.</p>
<p>“You didn’t do it intentionally?” Nick asked.</p>
<p>“Not at all. Yikes. Makes me sound like a bit of a fan girl doesn’t it? Naming all my songs after theirs?”</p>
<p>“A little bit,” Nick chuckled, holding up his hand with his thumb and forefinger pinched together.</p>
<p>“How embarrassing,” Rori said sarcastically.</p>
<p>“Very embarrassing,” Nick replied with a matching tone. “I hope they don’t notice because how awkward would it be if they know you’re a fan?”</p>
<p>“I’d die.”</p>
<p>“Thank god this is a private chat that no one else is listening too,” Nick laughed. “Ok so earlier in the show you hinted at the story behind <em>Sweet Creature</em> and I was hoping, since Hazza isn’t here to stop us, we can dive into the rest of the album. The fans and I couldn’t help but notice that there seems to be a bit of a common theme throughout the album with it being tied into the Columbia shooting and I've got a fan observation here from the account <strong>@18monthsTheySaid</strong>, it’s quite an in-depth thread but I’d love to get your take on it so here we go:</p>
<p>
  <strong>Whatever you do, don’t think about the fact that at least 4 tracks off HS1 are about Aurora and the Columbia shooting. These are obviously just my interpretations of the songs and I might be wrong but I’m gonna say it anyway.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <span class="u">Meet me in the Hallway</span>
  </strong>
  <strong>: I think this is about the immediate aftermath. He’s roaming the hospital hallways, needing pain relief and he’s ‘gotta get better’ because he feels the need to pull himself together and be there for Aurora. He’s begging her ‘Just let me know…’ because he’d do anything to fix it or make it easier for her. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <span class="u">Sign of the Times</span>
  </strong>
  <strong> is probably one of the most overt ones on the album, I mean ‘why are we always stuck’n running from the bullets’? and I’m pretty sure ‘we don’t talk enough… will we ever learn?’ is about how we can never seem to have an actual conversation about gun reform in this country and until we do we’ll never change. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <span class="u">Two Ghosts</span>
  </strong>
  <strong>: ‘we’re not who we used to be’ is obviously about the fact that they both changed so much in the wake of the shooting and I think the idea of them being ghosts is Harry examining the alternative reality where she didn’t survive and maybe he wouldn’t have survived it either. </strong>
</p>
<p><strong><span class="u">Ever Since New York</span></strong><strong>: I mean the title says it all really. ‘Tell me something I don’t already know’ is maybe asking the doctors for better news because she went through so many surgeries and the results were always the same. And ‘Brooklyn saw me empty at the news’ I think is reference to Rori’s dad, Steve Rogers who’s from Brooklyn and some of the Avengers call him that occasionally in interviews</strong>.”</p>
<p>Aurora remained silent for a moment once Nick finished reading out the twitter thread. She was so often blown away by how observant the fans were and how much they picked up on. “When we sat down to write the album in 2016 we were so heavily stuck in the aftermath of Columbia that I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that a lot of the album is in reference to what happened to me and the fallout from that,” she explained. “This album was about us piecing ourselves back together in many ways and I think if you listen to the whole thing you can hear that entire process of us healing together. The incredible thing about Harry as a songwriter and as a performer is that he’s always been so good at making you feel exactly what he’s feeling when he sings, and clearly people are picking up on that tone and over-arching theme.”</p>
<p>“Was it difficult to write about what happened?” Nick asked.</p>
<p>“Some days,” Rori admitted. “There were a lot of tears but the thing I love the most about music, and the entire song writing process, is that it’s the best form of therapy. When I’m writing I can admit to feelings I wouldn’t otherwise be able to talk about. You can be really vulnerable in way that feels safe and comforting and then when you’re able to share that with the world and you let them in, it’s an incredible experience.”</p>
<p>“And I think I speak for everyone when I say how much we appreciate you and Harry letting us in. Now before either of us get too mushy, let’s throw it over to your favourite track off the album. This is <em>Sweet Creature</em>.”</p>
<p>While the song played, Nick looked across the desk to where Aurora was taking a deep breathe to steady her nerves after talking about something so personal. She loved talking about song writing and the meanings behind her lyrics, but she always got a little nervous when it was Harry’s songs she was talking about, knowing that he felt the opposite about sharing the stories behind the songs. He had told her countless times that while he wasn’t comfortable having those conversations he would never stop her from talking about it, but his silence on the topic always made his fans desperate for information which put a lot of pressure on her when she spoke about his work.  </p>
<p>“Alright,” Nick said, “you ready for the last one?”</p>
<p>“Is it what I think it is?</p>
<p>“It is. Not too late to back out if you don’t want me to ask. We can just talk about the BBC recording or about the tour some more.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s ok,” she replied. “It’s about time I say something. Just nervous about the response.”</p>
<p>Nick nodded in understanding and turned back to the microphone as the song reached its end. Aurora felt her heartrate rising and her hand started to shake as anxiety clawed at her throat.</p>
<p>“Now we’ve been addressing fan theories and answering the internet’s burning questions here this morning and we can’t really have a segment like this without touching on the biggest theory surrounding Harry that dates back to the very early days of his career and I know neither of you have ever addressed this publicly but when we were chatting last night about you filling in for him I asked if it was ok to bring this up and you both agreed I could ask…”</p>
<p>Aurora shifted in her seat hesitantly, her palm growing sweaty as she anticipated the next question. She’d avoided commenting on it publicly ever since she and Harry announced their relationship, which was not to say she didn’t have strong opinions about the topic. She just knew that it would cause a stir amongst the fans.</p>
<p>“For years now, fans have speculated that Harry and his bandmate, Louis Tomlinson, are in a secret relationship and that they’re management forced them to hide it so as not to alienate their fan base. In the past both yourself and Louis’ girlfriends have been accused of acting as beards for the lads, but you’ve never addressed the overwhelming online presence of what the fans call Larry Stylinson.”</p>
<p>“I really don’t like talking about it, Grimmers,” Aurora began. “But I guess by staying silent a lot of fans have taken that as an answer, so what I will say is that I’m not angry at those fans. I am sad though. I’m sad that they think it’s ok to harass myself or Eleanor or Danielle or anyone else in Harry and Louis’ lives. I’m sad that they saw two boys who saw each other as family and loved each other and that those fans couldn’t accept that two men could show affection for each other without it being romantic love. What worries me are all the boys out there who see the way these girls have acted over the years and how much that has reinforced the toxic masculinity in their lives. The fear of being seen as gay stops so many boys and men from telling their friends that they love them. My best friend Ella and I act the exact same way as Lou and H did in the early days of the band but because we’re women no one has ever accused us of being lesbians. The harassment has affected all of us and I know that the fans are acting out of a place of love. They love the boys and they want them to be happy, but it’s honestly just gone too far, and it needs to stop. The Directioners are such wonderful people who are so inclusive and loving and I think they need to remember that and remember that we see the things that they say online. I guess if there was one thing I would say to those fans if they’re listening it would be that I know you love Harry and Lou, but by attacking myself and the other women in their lives you are hurting them and I’m certain that that is not what you want, so instead I ask you to channel that love into supporting them and lifting them up.”</p>
<p>“Thank you love. I know you don’t like talking about, but I must say I completely agree with you. Now we’re going to go to one more song and then when we come back, we’ll wrap this up and let you get on with your day. How about you introduce this next track, Rori?”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Grimmy,” Rori said. “From his incredible new album which dropped less than 2 weeks ago, here’s Niall Horan and myself with <em>Seeing Blind</em>.”</p>
<p>“You handled that well,” Nick told her once the mics were muted. “Kept your cool and explained yourself clearly.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Rori replied with a small smile. “Think I might stay offline for the next few days to avoid the worst of it.”</p>
<p>“Probably a good idea love,” Nick agreed. “Ready to finish this off?”</p>
<p>“Let’s do it.”</p>
<p>When the song ended the pair chatted for a few minutes about the rest of the tour before they reached the end of their timeslot. “Well thank you for joining me this morning for a bit of a cheeky gossip session Rors,” Nick finally said. “For those of you listening at home that are missing Harry this morning, tune in to BBC on Thursday night for Harry Styles at the BBC, an hour long show with live performances and interviews with yours truly.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. I’m free as a bird when I’m flying in your cage: Nov/Dec 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here’s your April update! Hope you enjoy it and please, please, please if you like this story a simple comment makes a world of difference. </p>
<p>As always please don't forget to  check out tumblr for the instagram posts that accompany this story :) https://abundanceofsoph.tumblr.com/post/631943222474801152/skyfire-3-the-styles-solo-era</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thankfully, after a day and a half of vocal rest, Harry was ready to go for the Manchester show and he very much dialled his performance up to 11 for his hometown crowd. Just as she had told Grimmy, Aurora stayed off social media in the days following the interview, but she heard from others that a small section of the fandom was absolutely furious with her and the social media manager that Mark had hired years ago to clear out her comment sections was working overtime to keep some of the nastier shit from her feeds. As much as Aurora herself was able to avoid it all together, she knew that a lot of her fans would be reading the comments and she wanted to keep it safe for them. Harry’s team was also working to keep his own accounts clear as well, and while they couldn’t hide from what was being said about them or Louis and Elanor, they could try to filter out the worst of it. This was the one part of celebrity that they all agreed was the worst. It was the unfortunate consequence of having such passionate fans. Ella had no such inclination to avoid the comment sections and was spending her free time picking fights with Larries and attempting to set them straight on the reality of Harry and Louis’ relationship as nothing more than brotherly love. Aurora tried to urge her to let it go, but unfortunately her best friend was feisty and easy to anger which was not a good combination with how overprotective she was about her loved ones. By the time they stepped out onto the Manchester stage, both Rori and Harry were happy to put aside the drama and focus on the music.  Things started to cool down over the following week which took them up to Glasgow and then on to Stockholm, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Milan. By the time they returned to London on the 11<sup>th</sup>, the music video for Kiwi had been live for 3 days and the fans had thankfully moved on from Aurora’s interview in exchange for raving about the new video.  </p>
<p>They spent the first few days relaxing at home before Rori headed to North London to meet up with Liam at the recording studio he liked to use to work on the song he had mentioned at Niall’s launch party. Aurora had spent the last few weeks listening to the demo on repeat while pouring over the sheet music Liam had emailed her. She was obsessed with the song and the two had been messaging back and forth constantly, discussing the arrangement and which parts each of them would take. Stepping back into a recording studio, even one she’d never visited before, felt like coming home after weeks on the road and her face lit up immediately as soon as she caught sight of Liam,  wrapping her arms around him in a rib crushing hug. </p>
<p>“Ready to jump straight in?” he asked after letting her go. </p>
<p>“Absolutely,” she replied excitedly before following him as he introduced her to the producer and technicians that they would be working with for the following few days. </p>
<p>With a full week before Harry and Rori were due to  fly to Shanghai, neither she nor Liam were on a tight schedule to finish the song. This meant that the environment in the studio was very chilled and there were many tangents and breaks taken while they worked.</p>
<p>“How attached are you and Lou to the lyrics?” Rori asked on their second day in the studio.</p>
<p>“Of course, you want to change something,” Liam laughed in a response. “Wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Rori replied with a laugh of her own. “I am who I am.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Liam agreed. “So, show me what you’re thinking.”</p>
<p>“I’ve been tossing around the pre-chorus and I was wondering if instead of what you lads have there, instead we go with this.”</p>
<p>
  <em>I'm free as a bird<br/>When I'm flying in your cage<br/>I'm diving in deep<br/>And I'm riding with no brakes<br/>And I'm bleeding in love<br/>You're swimming in my veins<br/>You got me now</em>
</p>
<p>“Well fuck,” Liam replied. “Think I need to stop writing with Louis and start writing with you more often.”</p>
<p>“You like it?”</p>
<p>“Rors, I love it,” he said. “It’s way better than what we came up with. Let’s get back in the booth and record it.”</p>
<p>They ended up spending four days finishing the song which left Aurora with a few remaining days to catch up with Ella and also relax at home with her husband before they were thrown back into work.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>The day before they were set to fly to China, Aurora headed over to Ella’s flat in Wimbledon. “I brought cake,” she yelled as she let herself into the flat with the spare key Ella had given her when Rori first moved back to London.</p>
<p>“Fuck yes!” Ella cheered in response, her voice carrying down the hall from the kitchen. “I’m just making us tea,” she continued as Rori made her way inside. “Get yourself comfy on the sofa and I’ll meet you in there, babe.”</p>
<p>Rori made herself at home in the living room, Ella’s elderly tabby cat Elliot, immediately padding over to make himself comfortable in her lap.</p>
<p>“You were recording with Liam this week yeah?” Ella asked as she joined Rori on the sofa, placing mugs of tea in front of them. “How was it?”</p>
<p>“God, it was so much fun El,” Rori sighed. “I didn’t realise how much I missed being in the studio. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love touring and I’m having an incredible time on the road, but it felt so good to be back recording again and it just has me itching to write again.”</p>
<p>“You should make sure to do more of it over the Christmas break then,” Ella pointed out. “Speaking of which are you going to be in New York or are you coming home for winter?”</p>
<p>“We’re planning a bit of both. Christmas and my birthday in New York with my dads and then we’ll come back here for February before the tour kicks off again in March. I think Gemma and Anne are going to join us for Christmas too and then when we get back Liam and I have made plans to have a writing session together. ”</p>
<p>“Sounds like a good plan,” Ella nodded before taking a sip of her tea. “Selfishly I’m glad you’ll be spending a decent chunk of time here. I miss you.”</p>
<p>“Urggh,” Rori groaned. “I miss you too. Was thinking of maybe doing something for Harry’s birthday and getting you, Lou, Liam, and Niall over to our flat for a game’s night or something. I feel like Harry could use something a little more lowkey this year after the insanity of tour.”</p>
<p>“Don’t feel like you need to invite me,” Ella replied awkwardly. “I mean, if you’re inviting the band over, I’m not really part of that group.”</p>
<p>“Oh bullshit,” Rori laughed. “They boys love you just like I do. You all get along great whenever we were all together for wedding stuff or the album launch. Why on earth would you feel like I shouldn’t invite you too?”</p>
<p>“Rori,” Ella sighed. “While yes, I have gotten along with yours and Harry’s friends in the past, that doesn’t mean that I run in the same circles as they do. They’re celebrities, you are a celebrity and I just think that sometimes you forget that I’m just your old friend from school. It’s two separate worlds that you live in.”</p>
<p>Aurora rolled her eyes in response, taking a sip of her tea while she compiled her rebuttal. “That’s such a load of shit El. They are mine and Harry’s friends and so are you. When we are away from the paparazzi, they are no different to you and me. I get that we grew up with their pictures on our bedroom walls but once you put that aside they’re just a bunch of really great guys that I think could become your close friends too if you let them in and stop freaking out around them.”</p>
<p>“Ok fine,” Ella agreed after a moment of silent staring between the two women. “I’ll try to get over myself and give them a chance next time we’re all in the same room. Can we change the subject now?”</p>
<p>“That’s all I’m asking for and absolutely we can change the subject. How’s things with Tim? Feel like we haven’t talked about him in a while.” Ella made a face and Aurora felt her heart break for her best friend. “When?” she asked softly. “What happened, love?”</p>
<p>“He broke it off a few weeks ago,” Ella explained. “Said he didn’t feel a spark or something.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry babe, things seemed to be going so well when I left for the tour.”</p>
<p>“They were. At least I thought they were. We barely made it past 3 months before he gave up.”</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you tell me?”</p>
<p>“You were half a world away having the best time,” Ella replied. “If I’d told you then you would have just felt guilty for not being here.”</p>
<p>“And now instead I feel guilty for not even being able to be a sympathetic ear since I couldn’t provide a shoulder. How are you now?”</p>
<p>“I’ll be ok. I’ve been a bit down in the dumps, but I think it’s for the best. He made some good points about me not really knowing what I wanted and he’s right. I think I’m gonna swear off dating until I really figure out who I am and what I’m looking for.”</p>
<p>“Well if you ever want help figuring out who you are, I think I know you pretty well by now.”</p>
<p>“I might take you up on that offer,” Ella said with a small smile before changing topic. “Now enough moping, you said you brought cake with you? You are never going to believe the scandal that’s broken out amongst some of the girls in my Colonial History class.”</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Occasionally something would happen in Aurora’s life that would give her pause and remind her how incredibly ludicrous her life had become. Standing behind her keyboard in the middle of a Victoria Secrets show in Shanghai while her husband sang and danced his heart out in front of her while literally supermodels strutted past them was one of those moments.</p>
<p>It was hard for her to believe that only 2 days ago she was sitting on her best friend’s sofa eating a chocolate cake from Sainsbury’s and discussing the latest high school drama playing out in Ella’s classroom. She found herself thinking about how her mother would react if she somehow had a way to travel back in time seven years and tell her about this moment and all the other life changing moments that had occurred since they parted. It was while her thoughts were caught on her mother that Harry turned, catching her eye, a mile-wide smile lighting up his face as he winked at her, causing her own smile to grow in response. No matter how strange her life had become and how much everything had changed since she was an average teenager living above a small bar, she knew that she wouldn’t change a single thing that had happened if it meant ending up here with Harry smiling at her like that.</p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Following the Victoria Secrets show, the band arrived in Singapore early and spent a few days exploring before their show there after which the flew on to Australia, a country that Harry had toured many times over the years with One Direction, but Aurora had never managed to visit herself. They had a week in the land Down Under, with shows in both Sydney and Melbourne and Aurora made it her mission to see as much as she could of the 2 state capitals, often dragging Harry or other members of the band along on her adventures. Given that it was the last week of November everywhere was getting into the Christmas spirit, however since it was the southern hemisphere the weather was scorching hot and the group found the combination highly entertaining, if somewhat baffling.</p>
<p>While in Sydney they took in the iconic sights such as Bondi beach, the Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge, as well as a day trip out to explore the Blue Mountains. In Melbourne they visited the Eureka Tower with it’s Skydeck that offered an amazing view of the city spread out beneath them. They also spent some time at the Melbourne Zoo and National Gallery of Victoria, then the day after their show at the Forum, they were taken on a drive out of the city and down along the coastal Great Ocean Road.</p>
<p>The tour stop in Auckland was similarly packed out with touristy opportunities where Aurora’s highlight was the art gallery Toi o Tāmaki. While the laid back vibes in both Australia and New Zealand captured Aurora’s attention, it was the week they spent in Tokyo that held Harry’s, so much so that while everyone else headed home the day after the last show, the young couple made a last minute change to their travel plans and extended their stay by an additional week to explore the city more.</p>
<p>Once again, Tokyo was somewhere that Harry had visited many times with the band while Aurora had never been, and he enjoyed to opportunity to show her his favourite parts. Something Aurora noticed almost immediately about Tokyo was that unlike in the US or the UK, people either didn’t recognize them when they were out and about or they did but respected their privacy and left them alone. She pointed this out to Harry on their second day wandering the city streets and he smiled back at her, agreeing that it was something he’d also noticed in a previous visit and had definitely played a role in him falling in love with the city. </p>
<p>They spent their days wandering the streets, ducking into quirky shops that caught their eye and just revelling in the normalcy of being together in public. As they walked, they both realized that they had never had this; a chance to be like everyone else crowding the sidewalks around them. Save for stolen moments in the early days of their relationship like their first date in Hampstead Heath or when they were able to sneak into galleries on quiet days, they’d never really been able to be themselves within a crowd. They’d always needed to wrap a scarf that little bit higher around their chins or wear a hat a little lower on their heads or glasses a little bit larger. To walk hand in hand like any other couple was freeing in a way that Rori hadn’t realized she’d been missing, and she soaked up every moment of their time in Tokyo. If only for a week she felt like she was living the life she would have had if her mother hadn’t died. If she had continued living as a normal girl from Wimbledon instead of being thrust into the spotlight, free to live her life without the scrutiny of the press and the public. Of course, it wasn’t lost on her that the man holding her hand wouldn’t be Harry in this parallel universe and for that she would happily trade in her freedom. She could accept that the price she paid to be married to Harry and be Steve and Tony’s daughter was that she would never really be allowed to have this normality, so she simply tried to make the most of their time before they flew on to New York for Christmas. They never spoke about any of this during their little vacation away from their lives but even without voicing her thoughts, Rori was certain that Harry was thinking the same thing and would willingly make the same sacrifices for the life they had built together. </p>
<p>xXx</p>
<p>Both Aurora and Harry were exhausted by the time they reached New York and were grateful to find Happy waiting for them as soon as they exited the arrivals terminal at JFK. He offered a quick hug to Rori before collecting their bags from them and leading them to the town car waiting for them. She leant against Harry in the back seat as they made the hour long drive into Manhattan. Her blinks began to lengthen as the airport shrank in the rear-view mirror and she was fast asleep before they reached Queens. Harry had to gently coax her awake once they finally reached the tower and she slowly made her way out of the car and into the elevator up to the penthouse. Tony and Steve were waiting up for their arrival and excitedly pulled their daughter into tight hugs the moment she stepped out of the elevator. It was Steve that noticed the way both Rori and Harry’s eyelids seem to droop and their gazes glazed over while Tony asked them a dozen questions about their recent adventures, and Rori was grateful when her Pops shooed them both off to bed with promises that they could catch up properly over a homecooked breakfast the next morning. They were barely conscious by the time they stripped out of their clothes and crawled into bed, however Aurora remained awake just long enough the think about how good it felt to be home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Holidays in New York: Dec 2017</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>How the fuck is it May? That seems fake.<br/>Anyway, hope you enjoy this latest chapter and please, please, please if you like this story a simple comment makes a world of difference. </p><p>As always please don't forget to check out tumblr for the instagram posts that accompany this story :) https://abundanceofsoph.tumblr.com/post/631943222474801152/skyfire-3-the-styles-solo-era</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aurora had always loved Christmas growing up. The chill in the air, the lights and decorations strewn around town and the towering pine tree in the corner of the bar. There were never many presents under it; usually a small something her mother could pull together and art supplies from Helen and Greg, but Christmas was never about the presents in their home. Instead, the festive season meant going ice skating with Ella after school, Christmas Eve waffles with her mum, carols to be performed at the piano, and Helen teaching her to make gingerbread biscuits and plum pudding. Even after Louise‘s death tarnished Christmas Eve and left a heavy cloud hanging over Christmas Day, the month of December still brought so much joy to Aurora's life and she made a choice once she moved to New York to focus on only the happy memories she had from childhood, knowing that if she didn’t then this time of year would slowly crush her under the weight of her grief. The atmosphere completely changed in Manhattan with the Christmas spirit and she loved every little aspect of the season. In the city, Christmas was now filled with new traditions like picking out a tree with her fathers and stringing lights with Nat and Bruce. It was introducing Steve and Bucky to cringey festive movies and ice skating in central park with Harry. It wasn’t the same as it had been growing up in London, there were far more presents under the tree now and the family around the table much bigger and louder, but despite these changes or perhaps because of them Christmas remained Aurora’s favourite time of year.</p><p>Now, however, there was pained edge to all the festive joy. She still loved ice skating in Central Park and strolling through the Christmas markets, but the cold seeped into her bones, chilling her in a way it never had before Columbia; the ache in her left arm and shoulder a constant reminder of the bullets that had ripped her apart 3 years ago. She was good at hiding her discomfort most of the time, holding back grimaces and fighting back the urge to rub at her residual limb as it throbbed. The full impact of winter had made itself known when she had returned to New York with Harry after the bands final performance before going on hiatus and while most of the people around her were unaware of her struggle, Harry caught on quite quickly. She hadn’t really been that surprised when he realised she was struggling a few days after returning from the band’s final performance on X Factor. They had just returned back to the tower from a walk in Central Park and while Steve was putting the final touches on dinner, Aurora had quietly excused herself from the room. Harry had quickly joined her, finding her curled in on herself in the hallway rubbing at the ache in her shoulder. Ever since that year Harry had always made a conscious effort to help her through the winter months, always on hand with heat pads, a massage, a steaming hot bath or even a surprise getaway to a warmer location. Rori tried not to let her body’s protests impede her activities however she now paid more attention to the forecast so as not to be heading outside on the worst days and she always rugged up with thicker jackets than most people would deem necessary.</p><p>This year was no different with the aches setting in while they were exploring Tokyo and only worsening as they settled back into life in the tower. Steve and Tony had already picked out the tree for the penthouse before their arrival but the last of the ornaments had been left for Aurora to place, the carefully wrapped hand painted baubles from her childhood added in amongst the Avengers themed ornaments that Clint had gifted the family ironically a few years earlier. As he did every year, Harry voiced his argument against Die Hard being a Christmas movie, but despite his grumbling he allowed his wife to pull him onto the sofa and curled up against her as Bruce Willis saved the day. With the time off from tour, Rori took the opportunity to throw herself back into her painting and spent hours at a time working in comfortable silence with Steve in their studio. A few days before Christmas, Anne and Gemma flew into town and Anne happily joined Steve in the kitchen to prep for the gigantic Christmas dinner required to feed the large group that would be in attendance. The pair shooed any offers of assistance, knowing that it would be more of a hindrance than a help, leaving Harry and Rori plenty of time to spend with Gemma. The three of them binged crappy Netflix Christmas movies and caught each other up on everything from tour and Gemma’s own adventures over the past few months, happy to just be spending time together.</p><p>xXx</p><p>Christmas Eve started quietly on the penthouse floor of Avengers Tower. Ever since their formation, the Avengers followed the unwritten rule to steer clear, either remaining on their own residential floors or leaving the tower altogether. Tony had remained up in the lab till the early hours of the morning, so he was sleeping away most of the day while Steve and Anne were baking for the following day in the kitchen and Gemma had made plans to catch up with friends, leaving early after a quick breakfast. </p><p>Sometime around mid-morning, Harry had appeared in the kitchen, kissing his mother on the cheek as he silently passed by her to make two mugs of coffee. He also poured some cereal and heated up a pop tart before placing it all on a tray and carrying it back to the bedroom where Rori was buried under the duvet. Anne and Steve remained silent as they watched him trudge back down the hallway, his hair sleep mussed and sticking in every direction. Steve placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as Anne frowned at her sons dejected demeanour and slumped shoulders. Her normally loud and goofy boy wore his heart on his sleeve, and she ached to see him shouldering his wife grief without complaint. She was proud of him for it, but it didn’t make it any less painful to watch. </p><p>Of course, what Anne failed to realise was that it was not only Rori’s grief burdening his shoulder and pinching his brows together. It was weighing heavily on him that this would be their first Christmas without Robin and he was fighting against the urge to wallow in that sense of loss. Looking after Rori on the anniversary of losing her mother, her home and her childhood was a much needed distraction and he welcomed the diversion. It was always easier for him to be the shoulder to lean on than to be the one in need of leaning, a trait he shared with his wife which was understandably not always great for communication or dealing with heavy emotions but they managed the best they could. </p><p>After a slow morning spent in bed, they made their way downstairs to the arts studio so that Rori could throw herself into another painting. She was in no mood to talk, so Harry simple set himself up on the sofa with his latest book, content to merely be a comforting presence so that Aurora knew she wasn’t alone. As darkness fell outside and dinner time approached JARVIS softly let them know that Tony was ordering in Chinese and asking for their orders. </p><p>Once JARVIS announced that the food had arrived, they made their way back upstairs to where Tony and Steve had queued up a Christmas movie and Gemma and Anne were already waiting on the sofa with them, both nursing glasses of red wine. Rori happily wedged herself between Tony and Harry after piling dumplings, noodles, and spring rolls on her plate and settled in as the movie began.</p><p>The Chinese food was long since polished off and they were debating which movie to watch next when Steve disappeared to the kitchen. He returned a little while later once they had settled on the next film with plates of waffles for everyone and all the toppings weighing down the tray it was all balanced on. Aurora bit back tears at the simple gesture. Looking around at the family surrounding her caused the heavy weight of grief in her chest to flare. Carrying on this little part of her life with Louise made her miss her mother more than words could express, but it also kept her closer and in some small way included her in the new family that Rori had surrounded herself with, both with her dads and with Harry’s mum and sister. She knew that her mum would have loved everyone in this room and Rori was certain that it would always feel unfair to her that it required losing her mum in order to find those surrounding her now. </p><p>xXx</p><p>Without speaking about it, Harry and Aurora instinctively swapped rolls once they woke Christmas morning. Where Harry had taken it upon himself to support Aurora through her own grief the previous day, now it was Rori’s turn to help her husband, as well as Anne and Gemma as they navigated their way through their first Christmas without Robin. </p><p>Harry was already awake when Rori fluttered her eyes open to the soft morning light filtering in through her window. She rolled over to find him staring at the ceiling and without saying a word she wrapped herself around him, pulling him tightly against her and placed a kiss on his bare shoulder. They remained silent for long minutes before Harry finally broke out of his haunting daze. “Merry Christmas,” he murmured, turning in his wife’s arms to kiss her gently.</p><p>“Merry Christmas,” she replied softly, returning the kiss. “Do you want to talk about it or is it better to not acknowledge it?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” he whispered, his voice deep and laced with pain. “I feel like if I even say his name, I’ll burst into tears but then not talking about it feels like I’m trying to forget about him.”</p><p>“I know it’s hard baby,” Rori replied, “but whatever you decide is ok. If it hurts too much to talk about it, then that is ok. Doesn’t mean you don’t still love him or that he doesn’t matter. You have to do what’s best for you. Nothing to apologize for or feel any guilt about.”</p><p>“I love you,” Harry said, burying his face in the crook of her neck.</p><p>“I love you too, H,” she replied, carding her fingers through his hair.</p><p>They remained in bed for a while after that, wrapped up in each other before finally getting up and getting dressed to head down the hall to where the rest of the family were gathered in the living room. Harry fell onto the sofa next to his mother, curling up into her side while Gemma sat on her other side. Anne happily threw her arms around both of her children and Rori took up a spot on the floor at Steve’s feet, leaning back against his calves.</p><p>“I made breakfast for everyone,” Steve offered once they were both settled. “You want me to make either of you something?”</p><p>“I’m good thanks Pops,” Rori answered. “I’ll just wait for lunch. H?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” he mumbled.</p><p>“Coffee?” Tony yelled from the kitchen.</p><p>“Coffee please,” Rori yelled back, shooting a brief worried glance at Harry when he once again declined the offer. He seemed to be trying to melt into both the sofa beneath him and his mother beside him. Anne met her gaze across the room and offered a small supportive smile as she squeezed Harry’s shoulders a little tighter in her hug. In that small silent exchange between the two of them, the conversation was clear, they would do anything to help the man they both loved through his pain and it left Aurora in awe of Anne’s strength in that moment, only being able to imagine how much of her own grief she was pushing aside to be present for her son.</p><p>They remained in the living room for the remainder of the morning as the other members of the Avengers slowly made their way up from their own floors until the room was bursting with Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Thor, Sam, Bucky, Peter, May, Happy, Pepper, and Rhodey. Steve and Anne had outdone themselves and lunch was incredible. Everyone was bursting at the seams by the time they tapped out, leaving plenty of leftovers to feed them all for the next week and they finished the afternoon with eggnog and cheesy Christmas rom coms as the sun set outside and the TV and the lights on the Christmas tree provided a soft glow to the room.</p><p>xXx</p><p>2 days after Christmas Rori borrowed one of her father’s cars and crossed the East River to drive out to the North Shore on Long Island. She arrived at Oheka Castle a little after 9 and after parking, she was almost immediately pulled into a hug from Liam who had arrived a few minutes before her, having come straight from the airport.</p><p>“It is so good to see you, darling.”</p><p>“Good to see you too, Li,” Rori replied warmly. “Merry Christmas.”</p><p>“Merry Christmas,” Liam replied, taking her hand, and leading her inside and out of the cold. “How’s H?” he asked as the climbed the front steps.</p><p>“He’s good. Enjoying spending some time with Gem and Anne while they’re visiting but he said he’s looking forward to dinner tonight. How are Bear and Cheryl?”</p><p>“They’re great. You should see Bear lately. He’s pulling himself up to stand and I’m sure he’ll be walking within the next few weeks.”</p><p>“Can’t wait to give him a big cuddle when we’re back in London in a few weeks.”</p><p>They continued to catch up throughout the day while they roamed the property and decided on locations for different scenes for the music video they would be filming over the course of the next few days. Aurora also had a final fitting for her dresses and then the day was over, and Liam joined Aurora in the car for the drive back into the city.</p><p>Harry met them in Williamsburg where they had dinner at a food truck that Rori had read about and then wandered around until they found a dive bar with an open mic and grabbed a booth in the back corner where the lights were low and they were less likely to be recognized. It was a such a fun night, with all three of them having missed hanging out together and just getting to pretend that they were normal friends in their early 20s just out for drinks after work. By the end of the night, Aurora’s cheeks ached from laughing too hard and she wrapped an arm around each of the boys as they stumbled out of the bar and down the street, winding their way back to where she had parked, giggling hysterically in the way that only drunk people did. Having always been the sober member of the group, Rori had discovered years ago that nights out were far more fun when you let the drunks sweep you up in their high and because of that she knew that to anyone watching the three of them right now, no one would believe that she wasn’t just as drunk as the two men hanging off her shoulders. They finally managed to make it back to the car and Rori drove them back over the Williamsburg Bridge and through lower Manhattan until they reached the tower and called it a night.</p><p>xXx</p><p>The first day of filming began in hair and makeup with Rori having her hair curled, while a red lipstick and a dark smoky eye was applied by a lovely girl called Jessica. Once her look was finished, she slipped into a red backless tulle gown, over which she wore a heavy black winter coat as she made her way out into the gardens for her first scene. The crew were already set up and ready to go by the time she arrived and after chatting with the director, Hannah, for a few minutes, Rori slipped out of her jacket and approached the top of the short set of steps that she would be filmed descending while she sang.</p><p>“Ready?” Hannah called and when Rori nodded in reply, the studio recording of <em>For You</em> started playing and Aurora stepped forward, staring down the barrel of the camera while she lip-synced along to herself.</p><p>“Cut!” the director called.</p><p>“Holy fucking shit Hannah,” Rori yelled. “It’s cold as balls.”</p><p>“I’m sorry Aurora,” Hannah replied. “I know it’s uncomfortable, but I promise you it’ll be worth it. You look fantastic.”</p><p>“Let’s just keep moving before I freeze to death, yeah?”</p><p>“You heard the lady,” Hannah smiled. “Let’s get set for the next shot.</p><p>Rori spent the remainder of the day running around the estates beautiful rose garden, cursing Liam and his warm, comfortable room inside where he was filming. The following day she was still outside in the garden, now suspended in a harness as she floated in the air, trying to pretend that she wasn’t shivering to death. Aurora was very excited when they reached day 3 as she finally joined Liam to film inside after enduring the frigid New York winter air in the sheer gown that did very little to protect her from the elements. She was in a different dress now and the new challenge was no longer pretending not to shiver, but instead acting romantic with Liam. Many takes were ruined when one of them broke into giggles but eventually Hannah called a wrap on the video and after changing out of their costumes, they drove back into the city to spend a final evening together as Liam was flying home the following day to spend New Years Eve with his family. They parted with wishes of <em>Happy New Years</em> and plans to see each other at the end of January when they would perform the song on the Tonight Show to promote the Fifty Shades movie it was attached to.</p><p>xXx</p><p> As he did every year, Tony once again hosted a massive New Year’s Eve party, filling the penthouse floor of the tower with the who’s who of New York City. Having learned from their mistakes on the first New Years following Columbia, Harry and Aurora were now well practiced in how to handle the night while navigating around her PTSD. This year was no different and they joined in the party upstairs, catching up with familiar faces and dancing the night away. With half an hour to go until the ball dropped, they made their way to the elevator riding the car down to the sound proofed recording studio that would be their refuge for the remainder of the night. Earlier in the day, Harry had set up a nest of pillows and blankets, as well as setting out snacks and drinks. they settled in to watch a movie and see in the new year while avoiding the fireworks. They fell asleep cuddled together on the floor of the studio and Steve woke them the following morning, having made pancakes and waffles to welcome in 2018. Unlike most of the towers residences there wasn’t a single hangover amongst Tony, Steve, Harry and Rori, allowing for the four of them to get an early start on the day.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>